Another bit of confluence:
Our weekend away spoiled by smoke, we stayed in town. One treat: happy hour at a Good Bar. Teardrop Cocktail Lounge in the Pearl.
Saturday late afternoon about five. Still hot in the city, we sat at the bar and asked the owner for recommendations. Two cocktails each. Not cheap, not pricey. Made with great ingredients & craftsmanship. Yep. Crafted. Juices juiced to order, peels peeled just for us. Measured accurately. Ice hand cracked or crushed with a stick over a canvas money bag. Delicious. I should have written my choices down. I loved them. I even like gin now. But I loved one of Mark’s even better. A classic, the owner said, The Chrysanthemum. Who knew? But with an unusual combination of dry vermouth, the liqueur Benedictine, and absinthe — faint licorice taste paired with orange — heaven! I kept sniffing the empty glass with its orange twist. I’d buy the perfume if I could.
Then I happened on an article by Robert Messenger, a senior editor at The Weekly Standard. An excellent article about just what our owner/bartender told us: The Cocktail Renaissance. (Nice history on the cocktail and thoughts about where cocktails are going. I’m on that ride.)
The other thing? I had a nice buzz; when I got home I left it alone. I didn’t want to taint the delicious experience with any old well drink I threw together. I was satisfied. That’s saying something.
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what a great idea for a date! and what a great way to do it: turn over creative control. i wish i were so adventurous. :)
girls night is tonight and i’m quite sure, i’ll stick to the same old stuff. (but it’s what i like. i’m old and my ideas are entrenched. ha ha)
Riiight. I don’t buy that for a moment. You just need a bar with drinks you can’t decipher — that’s what let me ask for a recommendation!
Satisfied is a good thing.