Firebirds

When I saw this drink on the menu, I had to try it. I love when cocktails have weird ingredients. This cocktail sort of plays on a martini, albeit considerably less boozy. But the cheese gives the drink a funkiness that you would expect from the olives in a dirty martini. The additional components really lighten the drink and make it very approachable, with considerable sweetness from the Midori.

I asked how they made the infusion, and the bartender told me they milk-wash the Midori with the goat cheese—awesome! The drink was light, slightly warming, and felt like liquid velvet on my tongue. For someone who doesn't particularly like martinis, especially dirty ones, I truly enjoyed this cocktail and really appreciated the thought behind it.

A Southeast Asia-meets-Mexico, Oaxacan Old Fashioned that looks like a White Negroni? I say with awe and excitement. This is exactly the sort of thing I like—geographic fusion.

The jackfruit & lemongrass really mellow out the smokiness and give earthy undertones. I don't think I've had a more approachable mezcal drink before. I had to slow myself down with how fast I was drinking it.

The tincture is homemade. They char the lemongrass over a flame, crush it, and steep it in a high-ABV rice vodka. When bars spend the time to make an ingredient in-house that gets just a dash in your drink... well, then that's a good bar.

The bartender said this was their take on a tiki drink. Though they spared us the massive glass and umbrella garnish (thank you). To me, it drank very similarly to a dessert cocktail. I think this is an easy comparison due to the caramel and spice in the drink, but the thought came from the pineapple foam, which gave it a milkshake-like texture. I would go as far as to say almost a frosting sweetness.

Now, if you’re into this sort of thing, I think it’s a home run. For me, it’s at #3, as I don’t typically prefer this style of cocktail. I unfortunately did not pick up any of the cilantro oil, which I was really hoping for, and the Ancho Reyes barely peeked its head out at the tail end.

I let the ice melt a bit more than I normally would to counteract the milkiness and, to me, it made it better.