I love before dinner cocktails, for me they help set the mood for the meal. At home I usually just have a vodka and soda or a shot of Bourbon do to my lack of creativity. I have a friend Lisa that has the gift of being able to mix up the most amazing drinks for every occasion. Among my favorite is the Kiwi Martini. Her creativity has inspired me to search for some unique concoctions.
Unless you are stuck under a chain restaurant rock, then I am sure you are aware of all the unique cocktail menus being offered around town. One of the first places I can remember offering the Mixologist cocktail is Restaurant Eugene. They have mastered the concept of the perfect cocktail. On a recent Christmas Eve visit I was over whelmed by the offerings of liquor and mixers that I had never heard of. For the life of me I can not remember the cocktail I had, no thanks to the server snatching the menu out of my hand after I had ordered the cocktail, but it was warm and bitter, with a touch of sweetness. It was wonderful. Unfortunately, the three course menu that was offered at $75 a person was lacking as much as the service.
We visited Shawn's for brunch in search of the perfect cocktail and found several on the menu that were great. My favorite was the Mistral Mimosa. The pork sticky buns were out of site. My shrimp and grits needed salt which was not provided on the table. I am due back for a dinner visit soon.
Last week we headed over to Float Away Cafe to check out the new set up. They have really expanded and the place looks great. I was so excited to check out the cocktail menu because they always offer unique selections. (I once had the best mint julep ever here.) I ordered the Charleston Bog. A concoction of fresh red and white cranberries, Makers Mark and some fresh lime juice. It was great. The price tag for this delight was a hefty $12. As I got down to the last third of my drink I realized that there were so many cranberries and juice left that I starting thinking like Jew and decided to just order another shot of Makers to throw on top of all of that goodness. I gloated and I thought how proud Jew would be of my frugal move until I got the check and realized that a shot of Makers was $12 too. A bit steep, don't you think?
This weekend we stopped in to Watershed and had a fantastic meal at the bar. They have really expanded their cocktail menu so John and I were eager to give them a try. I opted for the Beet Martini (earthy and a little sweet), John had the Hendricks Sidecar which he loved. I also had the Cherry Almond drink for dessert which featured Gin and Amaretto and long with some soaked fresh cherries. They offer other unusual drinks like the Fig Martini and a Butternut Squash Martini. By the way the price tag on these flavorful cocktails were only $8. What a deal!
Red,
Great review....
You got ripped off spending $12 for a shot of Maker's!! That tells me not to ever pull a stunt like that again! It's scary, when I'm in Houston a decent scotch is cheaper than a mixed drink-now go figure which cocktail Jew orders!
Posted by: Jew | February 29, 2008 at 09:07 PM