SPIRITS
By Nanette Wiser
Quench your thirst at some of our fave cocktail haunts including Fenway’s rooftop bar, Salty’s Tiki Bar and Beach Lounge, 82 Degrees at The Saint Hotel, The Urban Stillhouse, Mandarin Hide, Social Roost, Saigon Blonde, Flute & Dram, Wild Child, The Saint Speakeasy, Proof: Cocktail Bar, Rum Runners Bar and Grille, Don CeSar’s Society Table, RumFish Grill and Copper Shaker. Celebrate Oktoberfest with traditional and outrageous beer fall flavors. Seems like Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) and the brew-haha starts earlier in September, so strap on your lederhosen and head out to these great breweries. www.visitstpeteclearwater.com/gulp-coast-craft-beer-trail
DRINK IN THE SUNSHINE.
SPIRIT FREE DRINKS: Not drinking is more and more a trend, and non-alcoholic beverages have replaced cocktails that deliver nutrients rather than a sensation, as in a Virgin Mary. Julia Bainbridge’s Good Drinks and Julia Momose’s The Way of the Cocktail can help you define your autumn signature cocktail. Consider toasting and steeping barley, then infusing the liquid with baking spices, honesuckle buds and banana peel syrup served in a whiskey glass. In addition to local liquor stores, check out non-alcoholic gourmet beverages at No & Low, especially their Amalfi Spirits and pseudo-whiskeys. www.drinknolow.com Check out Ritual’s collection of zero-proof, zero-calorie liquor alternatives, including rum, tequila, gin and whiskey.
Gazing out over the Gulf of Mexico with a stellar
Also trending are delicious and delicate non-alcoholic wines. We like TOST’s rose version with white tea, ginger, and elderberry and their crisp, almost peachy, slightly tart bubbly with white tea, cranberry and ginger. Woodland Honey Wine is a succulent honey wine with a blend of kombucha tea and wild Norwegian ingredients.
view of the setting sun, 82 Degrees provides
CANNED SPIRITS: Ready to drink (RTD) cocktails are all the rage. Craft brew cans, hard seltzers and boutique wine cans (included our beloved local Mermosa) tickled our gourmet fancy, but now it’s RTD season. We like Ramona Organic Dry Ruby Grapefruit Wine Spritz, Greenhook Gin & Tonic, Tip Top Daiquiri, Livewire Rocket Queen (rum, pomelo, pandan and cinnamon), Salt Point Margarita as an alternative to Truly and White Claw. Perfect for picnics and boating. Check out Norm’s Liquors for the latest concoctions.
sourced fare at a premier location destined to
nature imbued interiors and fresh Southern coastal cuisine to launch you into the decadence of an unhurried coastal vacation. Enjoy craft cocktail-sipping, fine wine tasting, and local beer distilling with alfresco dining options and locally become a favorite.
7203 Sunset Way in St. Pete Beach 727-292-0282 • www.eatat82.com Follow us for news, specials and live music calendar! ParadiseNewsFL.com | OCTOBER 2021
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