The calendar is closing in on Saint Patrick’s Day, but maybe you’re tired of drinking Guinness and Killians at the pub.
Still, you have to throw back a few to commemorate all things Irish (and alcoholic). So take your pot o’ gold (or wallet) and bar hop for cocktails. It’s not every holiday that you have a true excuse to drink yourself green. Tickle your taste buds ‘o wee bit and spice up your drinking life with these creative cocktails:”It’s a Jones original,” said Jones restaurant manager Josh Sapienza.
“Simple syrup infused with blueberry Stoli and green tea. The mint [that floats on top] serves as something to tie it all together.”
The combination of light and not especially
sweet tastes satisfies. Each sip goes down smooth and refreshing. As is the tradition with most Starr restaurants, Jones doesn’t skimp on the booze, but the Fountain of Youth isn’t burning your throat as it swims to your stomach. In fact, this one just makes you feel good. Think cough syrup, except it’s bubbly and actually tastes good.
This Swanky Bubbles drink is the Metropolis, composed of champagne, Stoli Strasberi and strawberry liquor.
“I’ve been working here six years and I have no idea [why it’s called the Metropolis],” said Swanky Bubbles bartender Jimmy ‘Shifts’ Dailey. But this simple drink doesn’t seem particularly
special until the aftertaste touches all taste buds and changes your mind with its light, sweet flavor. Most Swanky Bubbles cocktails combine champagne with something else, but Dailey recommends the Metropolis.
The drink is a top seller and one of his favorites as well.
“I have a sweet tooth, so I like anything with liquor and fruity taste,” the 33-year-old said. Swanky Bubbles is one of the only champagne bars in Philadelphia, so this sparkly red drink can’t help but be exclusive. “When I first tasted it, it was like eating a chocolate eclair ice cream bar but with peanut butter,” said 23-year-old Craig West, a student at Saint Joseph’s University. This delectable dessert of a drink is the Chocolate Peanut Butter Martini at Red Sky Lounge.
This cocktail screams sweetness and the chocolate flavor dominates your mouth upon the first sip. The liquor is more of a mellow flavor, and the drink includes Godiva, vanilla vodka, peanut butter syrup and a peanut butter crunch glass rim. The peanut butter is a slow taste, so you don’t feel like you’re drinking a Reese’s Cup. Vodka. Rum. Tequila.
That’s what you always order. How about some gin, too? Hit up Continental or Continental Midtown and order a Bees Knees. This drink is bizarre.
At first you hate it and wonder why you spent $9 on the thing. Then suddenly
you need another sip because you can’t remember what you just tasted, but you’ve decided it’s nothing short of spectacular.A Bees Knees combines Hendrick’s gin, lemon and orange juice with a dash of honey. This drink is strong and you can taste it. The honey juxtaposes with the gin and tart juices for a unique, hard-to-identify taste.
“It’s very fresh and invigorating. I like it and I don’t even like gin,” said 24-year-old Trish Quinto, a pastry chef who works at Center City Pastry. Lychee: a small round fruit with a white juicy pulp.
The Lychee Elixir: a tasty drink with a sugar coated rim, cognac, Cointreau liqueur, fresh lemon, lychee syrup and garnished with lychee sold at Fuji Mountain’s Bar for $10. Your mouth’s take on the cocktail: light, sweet, natural tasting and scrumptious. The drink’s shaken, not stirred method of mixing gives it a light froth, resulting in a pleasant texture on your tongue.
This drink was constructed by Fuji Mountain’s bar manager Joseph DePalma. The 23-year-old based his concoction on, “Tastes that blend well. [I] never use anything except fresh ingredients. No mixes, nothing artificial. Many [drinks] being twists on classic cocktails,” he said.
So drink. Be merry. Be Irish, but be Irish somewhere new. Pass on the green beer and grab yourself a cocktail this weekend.
Jess Pritchard can be reached at jessp505@yahoo.com.
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