Order No. 1: “Something ginny and floral like a martini, but not girlie.”
Winner: Weather Up Tribeca, 159 Duane St., nr. W. Broadway; 212-766-3202
“They didn’t win any originality points for their take on the Aviation ($14), a classic cocktail with gin, lemon juice, maraschino, and crème de violette. But this was still an excellently made drink, with just enough maraschino—which, in the wrong hands, can make a cocktail taste like cough syrup—to soften the tartness of the lemon juice. ”
Order No. 2: “Something with rum. Maybe a little tiki-ish, but not too sugary.”
Winner: Mulberry Project, 149 Mulberry St., nr. Grand St.; 646-448-4536
“All the drinks here were similar—fresh produce mixed with a spirit, served on the rocks—but it’s easy to look past the sameness when the results are as interesting as the grape-and-Thai-chile daiquiri ($14). The bartender used Captain Morgan, of all things, as the base, but its strong vanilla taste actually rounded out the spicy, fruity notes of the drink. Surprisingly outstanding.”
Order No. 3: “A whiskey drink that’s refreshing and a little more involved than a bourbon smash or a mint julep.”
Winner: Rum House, 228 W. 47th St., nr. Broadway; 646-490-6924
“Whoa! The other bars just trotted out variations on whiskey sours, but here I was handed a bourbon muddled with orange wedges and cherries, Ramazzotti amaro, Angostura bitters, and grated cinnamon and orange zest ($12). The Ramazzotti was really nicely balanced with the drink’s sweetness. The bitter herbiness of the whole thing prevented the cinnamon from taking the cocktail into winter-drink territory. Right on the verge of flavor overload, but in a good way.”
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