PALATE DAZZLING COCKTAILS

GREG NAGEL @ ocbeerblog

The Jeanne Paquin, created by beverage director Victor Moreno at Knife Pleat, evokes a certain je ne sais quoi with its complexity. The French Armagnac sour-based cocktail, served in a long-stemmed coupe glass, is topped with a velvety meringue-like cap and a swirl of bitters. Mme. Paquin, the drink’s namesake, was France’s first significant female couturier and a pioneer of the modern fashion business. It’s balanced by a slight sweetness from Floc de Gascogne, a liqueur with floral notes of jasmine, roses and honey.

Settle in at The Hall’s spacious bar and it’s tough to choose from beverage director Michael Rooney’s inventive cocktail list. Yu Rebel is akin to a soft pink lei of hibiscus flowers draped around notes of cherry and apple blossom—the result of blending Japanese Roku

Accessorize your shopping with these palate-dazzling cocktails

gin and French Calvados. Its fresh mint and pinch of black lava sea salt finish conjures up tropical vacation memories.

Is there a more recognizable cocktail than the Cosmo? Its simplicity of ingredients and the bright rouge color are synonymous with “Sex and the City” and fashion week. Seasons 52’s Hawaiian Pineapple Cosmopolitan is crafted with pineapple vodka, giving the drink a fresh Islands spin.

Over at the popular Water Grill Piccadilly Circus is based on the Wimbledon classic, Pimm’s Cup, but goes a step further. Equal parts Pimm’s No.1 is blended with Italy’s Aperol, making for a perfectly brunchable drink that also pairs well with the extensive raw bar and sushi menu. It’s served tall and thin, with a spa-like cucumber garnish. The Capital Grille takes a grand approach to the classic Old Fashioned with its In Fashion. A jigger of Grand Mariner lends an orchard of citrus aromatics on top of Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon with its telltale caramel and vanilla notes. Black walnut bitters are stirred in the mix, adding a luscious nutty-cola vibe.

Seabirds Kitchen’s comfortvegan cuisine met its match when noted cocktail consultant Emily Delicce, aka “Shrub Queen,” created a bar menu to match the fresh, seasonal bites. Bird’s the Word applies organic raspberry that’s been preserved into a shrub and is layered with lower ABV vodka and bittersweet, complex Cocci Rosa. The frothy vegan-friendly foam is stenciled with the restaurant’s whimsical bird logo.

Knife Pleat: Jeanne Paquin

The Hall: Yu Rebel

Seabirds Kitchen: Bird’s the Word

Water Grill: Piccadilly Circus