2 minute read
Drink This Now
Drink This Now
The Naranja (Orange) Gine and Tonic at La Bodega
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By Liz Goodwin
The Naranja (Orange) Gin and Tonic at La Bodega.
Photo by Liz Goodwin
Southwest Boulevard’s go-to spot for tapas, La Bodega, has an abundance of wines and cocktails to choose from as you dive into your tapas.
The gin and tonic selection presents plenty of options, including the Naranja. For the most part, I am a hater of orange-flavored drinks unless it’s true OJ. But this beverage changed me.
The Naranja is made with aromatic J. Rieger gin, a housemade orange tonic, orange bitters, and star anise. It’s well-spiced and not too sweet, a celebration of citrus and the diversity of flavors it can compliment. This drink is a liquified version of that fleeting chunk of time where summer melts into fall, which is objectively the best weather of the year.
I prefer to enjoy it al fresco on an early September afternoon, but even when you’re in the thick of a classic Midwestern cold snap, this drink will remind you of warmer days ahead.
Pair it with the Higos y Queso de Cabra, which are grilled baguette slices with goat cheese, fig coulis, and roasted peppers; or the Costilla Cortas, the chipotle-apricot braised short ribs with roasted peppers and fresh mint.
The generously sized drink rings in at $12, allowing plenty of room in the budget to split a few plates amongst friends.
