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.

Kelly Moritz

Fresh produce juiced to order at Mississippi Market

Apple Zinger
$5.99
Mississippi Market

It's that time of year, when those of us who care about such things snap out of our daylight-savings-induced long sleep with a few extra pounds in tow and visions of tank tops in our heads. Whether you want to inject some liquid nutrients into a newly jump-started healthy diet or just want something tasty and completely natural to sip on, Mississippi Market has its fresh juice game down to a science. Friendly advice: Don't shock your body with a cup full of greens on the first go; dip a toe in gently with the Apple Zinger.

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.

Kelly Moritz

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

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.

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

Kelly Moritz

Peace Coffee's Fireside Chat is an intriguing companion for any activity

Peace Coffee
Fireside Chat
$2.50

Longer-lit days, rivers of freshly melted snow, and critters popping out of their hidey-holes seem to herald spring, but winter is a fickle mistress, with time aplenty for blazes and bearskin-rug canoodling, cupping something warm and fragrant between your hands. In the absence of firewood and bearskin, you can also honor winter yet to come with a hot cup o' Peace Coffee. Make a date with the Fireside Chat and spark something new with this seductively spicy coffee drink.

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

Kelly Moritz

Warm up with the subtle smoke of Northbound's signature porter

Smokehouse Porter
Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub
$5/$3 Happy Hour

Pondering where to find your next perfect pint can feel like too many suitors and not enough lines on your dance card for all the craft breweries popping up around the Twin Cities. After being burned by roguish, sexy, and over the top brews, or left high and dry by a fleeting firkin of some rare varietal, isn't it time to settle in with something warming, familiar, and just plain nice? Belly up to Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub's community-supported bar and that's what you'll find in their Smokehouse Porter: the kind of beer that loves you back, even with porketta sandwich on your face.

See also:
Bradstreet Craftshouse's Minneapolis Flip: A cozy, classic drink of the week
The Hipshaker at Ward 6: A drink of the week for the kid in you

Hipshaker
Ward 6
$7

Kelly Moritz

Goslings and Kahlua sweeten the deal in Ward 6's Hipshaker

A burger and fries with a shake to wash it down. Is there any such iconic fast food trio that can speak better to the innocence (and the lightening-fast metabolism) of youth? Wouldn't you like to throw old-person things like "points" or your "glycemic index" to the wind and slurp your glass of dessert with your main dish, carefree? Ward 6 in Saint Paul captures that youthful spirit and makes it new-old again with grass-fed beef burgers, hand cut fries, and the Hipshaker, a booze-laden milkshake spun up fresh on the gleaming retro Multimixer holding court over the end of Ward 6's formidable bar.

Kelly Moritz

German riesling is a surprisingly satisfying winter sipper

Von Schleinitz Riesling 2008
Kings Wine Bar
$9/glass, $27/bottle

What else is there to do when faced with layers of sheer ice on every walking surface but granny-shuffle into the nearest neighborhood bar for some liquid relief? If that local watering hole happens to be the decidedly undivey Kings Wine Bar, it would be downright criminal not to settle in with something from the vine. With winds whipping subzero chills just out the window, make the unconventional choice to eschew those full, jammy reds for a riesling. The von Schleinitz 2008 Riesling peeks through the palate like the sun through heavy clouds and will become your new chilly-day go-to.