A sampling of local cocktails to ring in the season
The Mack the Knife at Hop Sing Laundromat.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
by Wendy Ramunno PhillyVoice Contributor
Leaf peeping season is upon us and bartenders are updating their drink lists. Here's a sampling of local cocktails to toast the arrival of sweater weather.
(The Little Sparrow at Brick and Mortar. (Thom Carroll / PhillyVoice)
On the ground floor of the Goldtex building in the Loft District, bar Manager Christina Rando mixes stellar drinks to go with Chef Brian Ricci’s flavor-packed skewers and small plates. Rando’s refreshing, appley Little Sparrow ($10) — with Calvados, herbaceous Averna amaro, rosemary honey and lemon — is the perfect thirst quencher on those in-between weather days of early fall.
Capofitto’s seasonal Sgroppinos and spiked hot cider
(Pera Sgroppino at Capofitto. (Thom Carroll / PhillyVoice)
For brunch and day-drinking options, head to this Old City gelateria and pizzeria where owner Stephanie Reitano offers riffs on the Sgroppino (traditionally made in Italy with lemon sorbetto, vodka and Prosecco). The Pera ($10), for example, combines pear sorbetto with Dad’s Hat rye and Prosecco. On frigid evenings when slushy cocktails are not an option, look to warming drinks like the Bitter Nonna ($10), with heirloom apple cider, Campari and Bulleit bourbon.
The Franklin Bar’s tequila cocktail contest entries are The Surozark by Alex Salter (pictured), The Bird is the Word by Adam Ravitz, Prima Donna by Zach Kessler and The Spaghetti Western by Davey Jones. (Thom Carroll / PhillyVoice)
Head bartender Sara Justice is on a roll with her seasonal cocktail tasting menus (like summer's “Down the Shore” list) and the debut of a casual bar upstairs from the lounge. Justice’s next tasting menu won’t appear until November, but in the meantime, tequila lovers will appreciate the contest she’s hosting with local brand Siembra Azul. Four Franklin mixologists created drinks featuring Suro Extra Añejo; drink sales over the course of a month will determine the winner.
(The Abbey Road at Hop Sing Laundromat. (Thom Carroll / PhillyVoice)
At this Chinatown spot, named one of the best bars in the world by Condé Nast Traveler, owner Lê has two notable -- and very boozy -- creations in the works. The Abbey Road ($12) is a combo of two Knob Creek bourbons — the single-barrel reserve 120 proof and the smoked maple — and Cynar (an artichoke bitter liqueur), with a twist of lemon. Those who enjoy cold-weather brown spirits more in theory than reality should try the Mack the Knife ($12): Kronan Swedish punsch liqueur and Angostura orange bitters lend a golden autumnal hue to Belvedere Unfiltered vodka.
The Olde Bar’s Pinkerton's Folly & Monsieur Lesieur Flip
(The Pinkerton's Folly at The Olde Bar. (Thom Carroll / PhillyVoice)
Beverage Manager Matt Polzin and his staff are revamping a good chunk of the drink menu at the historic Bookbinder’s building in Old City. A fall-oriented tiki cocktail, the Pinkerton's Folly ($13) is a mix of rum infused with warming spices, house-made orgeat (almond syrup with sugar) and lime over crushed ice. The frothy, creamy Monseuir Lesieur Flip ($14) blends Cognac, Cointreau, Cruzan Black Strap rum, allspice dram and a whole egg; it’s topped with Scotch Ale and sprinkled with nutmeg.
(The SouthGate Shandy at SouthGate. (Thom Carroll / PhillyVoice)
At this new Korean-inspired gastropub with talented Chef Clara Park in the kitchen, bar manager Juan Bustamante has introduced the SouthGate Shandy ($9) for fall. It’s a riff on a “somec” (beer mixed with soju, the popular clear Korean spirit). Here, the beer is Southern Tier Pumpking, and the drink gets a nice citrusy tartness from “citron tea,” or yuzu marmalade.
JB Bernstein, bar manager at star chef Greg Vernick’s busy Rittenhouse restaurant, associates fall with the Concord grapes that grew in his childhood backyard in New England. For his latest in-season drink list, he combines fresh Concord grape juice with pisco, Batavia arrack (a Javanese spirit made from fermented sugarcane and rice), citrus and an egg white ($14). His d’Anjou pear sparkler ($14) blends poached pear puree with dry gin, Pommeau de Normandie (an appley apéritif) and cava.