Two for the Road

Day 60, Cocktails 55 & 56

The nice thing about going to Bryant’s is that I can always catch up on cocktails.  Rarely do I have the same thing twice there, even in the same evening.  There are just too many new and delicious drinks to discover not to explore!  Yesterday I was there with proprietor John Dye behind the bar.  I told John I was in the mood for something appropriate for Summerfest eve.  He thought for a minute and then suggested this tasty number.

  Springtime

• vodka
• lychee liqueur
• lemon juice
• bar syrup

While I didn’t get the exact measures from John, I could probably figure it out in a couple of trys.  It’s served in a collins glass filled with cracked ice and garnished with a long twist of lemon. 

This was a very refreshing and sweet cocktail.  Bryant’s doesn’t serve much vodka, but in this case it provides the backbone for the lychee liqueur, which is a very sweet, tasty Chinese fruit.  Think along the lines of very ripe pear and your close, but not quite there.

The second new cocktail that I tried was a twist on a perfect manhattan.  This cocktail used bourbon, dry vermouth and cream sherry instead of sweet vermouth.  I have to admit, it’s not going to make it into my cocktail hall of fame.  While I enjoy a manhattan and I like sherry, this just didn’t quite hit the spot for me.