The following is an extended version of the article that appears in our March 2022 issue.
Photo by Kike Salazar N via Unsplash
I am certain that March is, in fact, the cruelest month. We have cozied until cozy has become catatonic, slogging and slumping our way through another pandemic winter. We are ready for freaking brightness, and it’s almost arrived … but not quite. So here are a handful of invigorating beverages that can both cut through the chill and provide an extra boost for the stagnant soul.
Guiltea Pleasure
The Guiltea Pleasure at Wong Gonzalez is a caffeine doubleheader, as Belle Isle Cold Brew Coffee Moonshine and chai-infused Cocchi Torino come together for a strong, earthy, spicy spirit-warmer. The drink finds its balance with the addition of Campari and orange bitters.
1 ounce Belle Isle Cold Brew moonshine
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce chai-infused Cocchi Torino
1 dash orange bitters
Orange twist
Combine all ingredients into mixing glass. Fill with ice and stir. Strain over king cube into a highball glass, express orange twist into drink and along rim of glass. Garnish with a twist.
Spiced Palms
Refreshing to the point of inducing giddiness, Lemaire’s Spiced Palms is a luxe version of a whiskey and ginger ale highball. This riff boasts a Woodford Reserve backbone and is livened by a dash of chai, fresh lemon juice, orange bitters and a ginger beer topper. Ask for bar manager Jared Thrasher, he’ll do you right.
2 ounces Woodford Reserve
1 1/2 ounces spiced chai (preferably Roar brand)
1/4 ounces lemon juice
Dash orange bitters
Ginger beer (preferably Goslings)
Lemon wheel
Add bourbon, chai, bitters and lemon juice to a shaker and shake. Strain into a double rocks glass over ice and fill to the top with ginger beer. Garnish with lemon wheel.
Thai Ti-Ti
Boozy Thai iced tea? Visit Little Nickel and thank the fairy spirit gods personally for a truly inspirational beverage — Thai Ti-Ti. Laced with house-made Thai iced tea syrup, toasted coconut-infused bourbon and spiced rum, the addition of mole and chocolate bitters rounds out the drink's sweet edges.
1 1/2 ounces toasted coconut-infused bourbon
1 ounce coconut milk
3/4 ounce Thai tea syrup
1/4 ounce Averna
3 dashes mole bitters
3 dashes Aztec chocolate bitters
Cinnamon stick
Orange twist
Build in a shaker tin: toasted coconut-infused bourbon, coconut milk, Thai tea syrup, Averna and mole bitters. Shake and double-strain into a hurricane glass. Fill with crushed ice, add chocolate bitters to the top. Garnish with cinnamon stick and orange twist. Torch garnish for aromatics.
Espresso Martini
No caffeinated cocktail list is complete without an espresso martini and Irish coffee. Luckily, Toast New American Gastropub keeps both classics on the menu for imbibers’ pick-me-up pleasure. The martini packs a dual punch of espresso vodka and coffee liqueur that is hard-shaken and frothed to dessert-worthy richness. After-dinner coffee parties much harder with the additions of Irish whiskey and whipped cream.
2 ounces Van Gogh double espresso vodka
1 ounce cold brew coffee (Ethiopian)
1/2 ounce cream
1/4 ounce Kahlua
1/8 ounce simple syrup
Add all ingredients to shaker. Shake (a hard shake gives it a frothier feel) and then strain into a chilled martini glass.
