STL Cocktail

Taste

St. Louis, Missouri » Central West End

----------------------------------------------------

I went on a little road trip this weekend and stopped overnight in St. Louis. Since we had three bartenders from STL in the Greater Kansas City Bartending Competition, it was easy to find a place we could stop in for a good drink. We're sorry we missed Chad from DeMun Oyster Bar though. It was harder to get out of town on time than we thought!

We tried three drinks at Taste Thursday night: Beachfire, Goodfella Flip and the Ab-Duck-Tion. All cocktails on their menu are $10. Just like at Manifesto, each drink is shown with icons of what kind of glass it is served in and how it's prepared. The Ab-Duck-Tion was our hands-down favorite, it was rich, creamy and tasted like ice cream. I loved how it looked like a fried egg in a glass. According to barman and beverage director Ted Kilgore, it's the third best-selling cocktail at Taste. There's a great patio out there too.

--- {Ab-Duck-Tion} ---

Duck Fat Infused Grand Marnier, Domaine de Canton Ginger,

Lemon, Mascarpone, Pepper, Lavender Bitters, Absinthe

Photo by Linh Trieu

tomato water

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Tomato Water Martini

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The first time I tasted tomato water, I was sitting at Pachamamas Star Bar in Lawrence, Kansas. It was a clear with a hint of yellow, not at all what I expected when I thought of your average red tomato. Since then, I've tried to replicate it and have tried it whenever and wherever it's available. Recently, Vann at Bluestem made a Gazpacho Martini for me. After dinner and catching up at Pot Pie with old neighbors, we popped on next door for a quick après drink. With only a couple short weeks left for tomatoes, this delicious cocktail will be off the menu soon. This photo is of the Tomato Water Martini at Pachamamas. When we interviewed chef Ken Baker and shared my drink-changing experience with this cocktail, he brought some out from the kitchen so the bartender could whip something up for me. In Kansas City, you must, must go to Bluestem before it's all gone. Theirs had such beautiful, complex flavors that I seriously want to drink it without any vodka in it at all. But I think they call it a soup when that happens.

pink drink

-------------------------------------------------

Blueberry Cilantro Margarita

-------------------------------------------------

@Tavern in the Village

Jose Cuervo Silver, elderflower liqueur,

lime juice, fresh blueberries and cilantro

photo by Linh Trieu