The following is an extended version of the article that appears in our May 2022 issue.
Como la Flor cocktail at Lolita's (Photo by Kip Dawkins)
Look! It’s a beach! An island! A new city! And there are people there, doing things! It’s not a mirage, everyone, vacation is happening this year. Whether you’re headed thousands of miles away or penciling in a daytrip to Sandbridge, catch a glimpse of that getaway at local bars.
Como la Flor
Hibiscus is also known as flor de Jamaica, FYI, and it’s an absolute star in the ruby-toned, smoke-laced Como la Flor at Lolita’s. The sister-owned Carytown restaurant knows exactly what to do with mezcal: Heighten it with Ancho Reyes, balance it with lime, enrich it with Corazon bitters, and blend it with their house-made hibiscus syrup.
2 ounces mezcal
3/4 ounce Ancho Reyes chile liquor
2 ounces hibiscus syrup
Juice of half a lime
3 dashes Corazon bitters
Place all ingredients in a shaker, add ice, shake for 10 seconds, serve straight into a Collins glass. Garnish with a dehydrated lime slice and hibiscus flower.
The Harlym Blue’Z
There can’t be a vacay-inspired drink list without something brightly colored and punch-sweet; it’s the combo that immediately transports you to an island hammock. The Harlym Blue’Z at Boogaloos is a heady, quaffable coconut-orange party with a vanilla nose and just enough bitterness to keep you coming back for more.
1 1/2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce coconut rum
5 ounces orange juice
1/2 ounce triple sec (or orange liqueur of choice)
Top off with Blue Curacao
Orange slice
Add vodka, rum, juice, triple sec, and Curacao to shaker filled with ice. Shake, pour into glass, garnish with orange slice.
Orange Crush
The Crush is a triple-threat orange refresher featuring fresh-squeezed orange juice, Belle Isle Blood Orange Moonshine and orange liqueur. It’s also a fan favorite; you’ll spot tons of them coming out of the little bar at The Lilly Pad while lounging alongside the river at sunset. The Varina watering hole brings the vacay feels, always.
2 ounces Belle Isle Blood Orange Moonshine
1 ounce orange liqueur
4 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
Stir all ingredients together and serve over ice. The key here is the freshly squeezed OJ, so don't skip it!
Pandan Leaf Painkiller
The entire menu at The Jungle Room is an explosion of “Take me away” tropical greatness, but the frozen pandan Painkiller cocktail is a standout — its velvety sumptuousness elicits such a lack of self-control that it’s worth risking repeated brain freezes. That nutty, complex pandan flavor lights up the pineapple-coconut classic in a big way.
4 ounces pandan leaf syrup
2 ounces Demerara rum
4 ounces pineapple juice
2 ounces orange juice
To make the pandan leaf syrup:
4 ounces pandan leaf (available locally at Tan-A)
1 can coconut milk
7 ounces sugar
7 ounces water
Boil ingredients together briefly, let cool, blend and strain.
Shake all ingredients hard in a shaker and pour over crushed ice, or fill a blender halfway with ice and blend all ingredients for a frozen concoction (how it's served at The Jungle Room).
