This season, cocktail menus are chock-full of vegetable syrups, juices and shrubs resulting in concoctions with vibrant hues of red, green and orange.
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Snapsvisa Sour – Coltivare, 3320 White Oak Coltivare’s beautiful patio garden is the perfect setting to enjoy this brilliant green beverage. The Snapsvisa Sour is made with aquavit, genever, sugar snap peas, lavender, mint, allspice and lime. The result is a slightly tart, but refreshing and herbaceous cocktail with a subtle hint of snap peas on the finish. -
The Snapsvisa Sour at Coltivare is made with sugar snap peas. -
Kentucky Rose – Harold’s Tap Room, 350 W. 19th Even non-bourbon drinkers will love this well-balanced cocktail. The Kentucky Rose uses Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon, Domaine Canton, Michigan Beet & Carrot drinking vinegar, cynar, lemon and Peychaud’s bitters. The ginger and herbal liqueurs pair nicely with the earthy complexity of the drinking vinegar to produce a unique and delicious medley of flavors. -
The Kentucky Rose at Harold’s Tap Room uses Michigan beet and carrot drinking vinegar. -
True Carats – Kitchen 713, 4601 Washington Ave #130 Kitchen 713 promises “unpretentious, unadulterated soul food” and their drinks are no exception. The True Carats is a real “gem” made with Bombay Sapphire East, Fernet-Branca, carrot juice, grapefruit juice, lime and rosemary simple syrup. The juices and syrups are made in house and the drink is as tasty as it is beautiful. -
Kitchen 713’s True Carats cocktail includes carrot and grapefruit juices. -
Loboto-Mobile – Moving Sidewalk, 306 Main Moving Sidewalk’s Spring menu was inspired by things we thought we’d have in the future that never happened. We may not have flying cars or jetpacks, but we do have the Loboto-Mobile. This sweet, yet savory cocktail is made with gin, madeira, tomato water, mint, basil and firewater bitters. The tomato water is made using cryofiltration which results in a tomato juice that’s light and clear. -
Mint is one of the ingredients in the Loboto-Mobile at Moving Sidewalk. -
Borscht Sour – Riel, 1927 Fairview The Borscht Sour is an exquisite magenta cocktail topped with a fluffy egg white foam and a sprig of dill. Just four ingredients are used to make this luscious drink: aquavit, lemon, beet syrup and egg white. The beets are roasted in house and then slightly sweetened to make the syrup. Unlike Riel’s rich and creamy borscht soup, the Borscht Sour is light and invigorating. -
The Borscht Sour at Riel gets its tartness from lemon. -
Oh My Carrots – SideBar, 2 Waterway Square Carrots are supposed to be good for the eyes so you’ll want a second serving of this alluring martini. The Oh My Carrots combines Reyka vodka, yellow chartreuse, Suze liquer, fresh carrot juice, lemon juice and house rich syrup to make a simple yet elegant cocktail. One sip will have you saying, “Oh, my.” -
SideBar’s Oh My Carrots is made with fresh carrot juice. -
Just Beet It – Upstairs, 2356 Rice Boulevard The newly opened Upstairs bar features a lovely cocktail list using fresh juices made in-house. The brilliant red Just Beet It consists of Cimarron tequila, beet juice, lemon and ginger. The natural sweetness of the beets is a perfect pairing with this particular highland tequila which has a dry profile and a bright, forward flavor. -
Just Beet It at Upstairs is infused with ginger. -
The Constant Gardener – Weights + Measures, 2808 Caroline Many bars serve a cucumber flavored drink, but The Constant Gardener is the quintessential cucumber cocktail. Gin, Strega, lime, basil and cucumber juice make up this vivid green garden in a glass. The Strega provides subtle herbal notes of mint and fennel, but cucumber is definitely the star of the show. -
The Constant Gardener at Weights + Measures is made with cucumber juice. -
Deep Rooted – Wooster’s Garden, 3315 Milam Deep Rooted looks like a freshly plucked carrot from the earth, but don’t let the small size fool you. This earthy cocktail packs a punch. Montelobos mezcal, Reyka vodka, carrots, heirloom tomato, chamomile, lemon and lime are combined to produce a tasty elixir that’s almost healthy if you overlook the alcohol. -
The Deep Rooted at Wooster’s Garden incorporates heirloom tomatoes. -
Wild Husk Sour – Xochi, 1777 Walker The Wild Husk Sour is made with mezcal, pisco, St. Germaine, lime, grapefruit, tomatillo marmalade and garnished with a crystallized hoja santa leaf. At first sip you taste the smokiness of the mezcal, but after a few sips the complexity beneath the smoky front begins to emerge, resulting in a beautifully well-balanced cocktail. Nibbling on the hoja santa leaf adds a lovely herbal note to the drink. -
Hoja santa leaves are crystallized and used as a garnish for Xochi’s Wild Husk Sour.
