Kelly Moritz

Butcher & the Boar's Brainstorm pays homage to bourbon and bold flavor

Brainstorm
Butcher & the Boar
$10

"Quality over quantity" is the name of the game in fine dining, small plates and subtle taste, restraint and dainty plating. But with bold flavors and portion to sizes to match, Butcher & the Boar has us questioning whether you can't have both. With big-ticket items like a double-cut Berkshire pork chop, the bourbon-heavy Brainstorm cocktail sits pretty by your plate, ready to stand its ground against all that meaty goodness with a deceptively potent profile.

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Kelly Moritz

Transport yourself to Paris by way of Minneapolis with a patio cocktail at Lucia's

Paris Martini
Lucia's Restaurant and Wine Bar
$12

A casually chic café set close to a busy street, a wisp of charming music drifting by across the chatter of couples out enjoying the first patio days of the season: capture the romance of it all with the Paris Martini at Lucia's. This drink of the week is a nod to the joy of spring and the glorious, restorative feeling that comes with seeing buds on trees.

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Kelly Moritz

Orange, spice, and citrus rum turn an afternoon off into a celebration

Underachiever
Eli's Food and Cocktails
$7.50

Eli's just gets it. From the fact that almost all the menu items are draped in bacon, gourmet cheese, or house-cured meats to the fact that you can get any of these items past 8 o'clock on a weekday, Eli's has had the upscale, classic comfort food thing down pat before it was trendy. And they understand that sometimes, when the situation (or lack thereof) calls for it, you need a pint glass full of various complementary spirits that taste good, go down easy, and keep you company while you wile away the hours. Loafer, meet Underachiever.

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Kelly Moritz

Linger over this sophisticated rye cocktail at Nightingale

Ample Time
Nightingale
$8

Schedules, "honey-do" lists, appointments to keep -- days could go by this way, no relief in sight. Pencil in some R&R at Nightingale, with its rich navy and brass details inviting you to claim some leisure time, captain of your own ship for a stolen hour or two. Indulge in plate after plate of casually elegant food, and savor the Ample Time, a spicy, warming rye-based rocks drink from an elevated yet wholly approachable collection of cocktails.

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Kelly Moritz

The Ajax at Amsterdam puts us in a carefree state of mind

The Ajax
Amsterdam Bar and Hall
$7

Countryside tulips and wooden shoes aside, Amsterdam is a party city, and its namesake joint in downtown St. Paul lives up to the reputation. With live music careening off the walls and a bar menu stacked with creative ways to get tipsy on gin you've never heard of, drinking at Amsterdam Bar and Hall will be, for many, a blast to the past when beer, clear liquor, and lemonade mixed together in a bucket made an acceptable party punch. Channel that inner party monster with the Ajax, a boilermaker with a Dutch twist.

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Emily Utne

A bounty from the bar: Eat Street Social's specialty cocktails coming soon to pop-up patio

For at least a year, Eat Street Social held the distinction of serving the most creative, complex, fresh-from-scratch, soda shoppe-inspired cocktails on Nicollet. Then Icehouse moved in, and even though their take is a little different (sipping shots, more emphasis on playful garnish, and gutsy flavor combinations), they undoubtedly upped the ante for the area. So what's a craft cocktail team to do? More »

Kelly Moritz

Smoky scotch and tangy yuzu dominate the Burch Penicillin

Burch Penicillin
Burch
$10

Sniffles, coughs, aches, and pains -- 'tis unfortunately the season for maladies minor and major, from head colds to snow-shoveling injuries. Enter Burch, the upstairs-downstairs steakhouse and pizzeria installed in the former landmark pharmacy on the corner of Franklin and Hennepin. While no exotic powders or tinctures will be dispensed in the name of science and health, you can get on the road to better, at least temporarily, with the Burch Penicillin.

See also:
Agave Punch at Haute Dish: Say 'get lost' to winter with this drink of the week
The Hipshaker at Ward 6: A drink of the week for the kid in you

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Locally, he's led the the Twin Cities cocktail culture to new heights. Around the Midwest he's spreading the gospel of artisan bitters and craft cocktails. Yesterday we discussed the beginning of Nick Kosevich's career and the storied time he spent at Town Talk (catch up here). Today we learn more about meeting his Bittercube partner Ira Koplowitz, drink spies, and how they lure their interns.More »

Kelly Moritz

Haute Dish's Agave Punch packs a wallop of tequila in a smooth citrus sipper

Agave Punch
Haute Dish
$9

Let's take five on winter. No, make it 20. Let's say basta to wintry warmers and cocktails that come in mugs, at least for one night. Bring on the citrus, the aged tequila, the sun-kissed sweet-tartness of Agave Punch, sipped while lounging against Haute Dish's polished wooden bar. Forgo that microbrewed chocolate porter or hand-selected whiskey flight, resisting all things seasonally appropriate and classically Minnesotan, for this refreshingly unobvious margarita with a cold-weather twist.

See also:
Smokehouse Porter at Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub: A tall, dark, and handsome drink of the week
Bradstreet Craftshouse's Minneapolis Flip: A cozy, classic drink of the week

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