Passion Fruit Sunrise Nantucket Café, Durham Website This attractive swirled drink was made with mango juice, pomegranate juice, and Absolut Peach. There was much more of an alcohol punch than I expected, but I suspect that’s because I’d just told the bartender that I liked strong drinks before ordering it. It was sweet, but also
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Moscow Mule City Beverage Woodcroft, Durham http://www.citybeverage-durham.com/ This drink was a mix of vodka, ginger ale, and lime served on the rocks in a short glass. The ginger ale and lime combined well with each other and with food. The vodka was undetectable, which is fine since vodka isn’t supposed to have much of a
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Dykki Whiskey Five Points, Durham This colorless cocktail was made with Plymouth gin, St. Germain elderflower liquor, Lillet Blanc, and an absinthe rinse.  It smelled of both licorice and pine trees.  The elderflower liquor gave a hint of sweetness to the drink and the Lillet Blanc provided smoothness.  These two elements combined made the gin
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Nantucket Margarita Nantucket Cafe and Grill Sutton Station, Durham www.nantucketcafeandgrill.com Wow, the Sauza tequila comes out strong in this margarita.  So does the house sweet and sour blend.  It’s really, really sour.  I can’t pick out the Grand Marnier but that’s probably because my mouth is too busy puckering due to the lemon juice.  If
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Sazerac @ Whiskey Five Points, Durham $12 Whiskey’s Sazerac is made with Jim Beam Rye, Peychaud’s bitters, and simple syrup.  The key to the drink, though, is the absinthe rim the glass is given before the rest is poured in.  Its licorice notes dominate the smell and initial taste; as I love absinthe, this is
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Pineapple Upside-Down Caketini West 94th Street Pub Woodcroft Durham www.west94stpub.com This cantaloupe-colored martini is made with Stoli vanilla vodka, Malibu rum, pineapple juice, and cream.  It is absolutely delicious and tastes exactly like you are eating a slice of pineapple upside-down cake, complete with the caramelized pineapple wedges. Sometimes, there is truth in advertising. Reviewed
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Mango Mojito Firebirds Rocky Mountain Grill Southpoint Durham http://www.firebirdsrockymountaingrill.com/ The Mango Mojito is made with 10 Cane rum, mango and lime juices, mint, and club soda.  It tasted like sugar syrup with a tease of mango that I couldn’t catch up to until I was halfway through the drink.  At that point, a bit of
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Big Fat Man Nantucket Café Sutton Station Durham www.nantucketcafeandgrill.com This is a manhattan made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon and served with 4 cherries.  The Woodford Reserve came through loud and clear with just a touch of vermouth.  As I like the hard stuff but find drinking it straight to be a challenge, the cherries made
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Papa Mojo’s Roadhouse 5410-Y Highway 55 Greenwood Commons Durham www.papamojosroadhouse.com Brunch:  $7-$13. Papa Mojo’s is a lively restaurant full of good Cajun cooking, live music during Sunday brunch and most evenings, and a bar with a nice drink list.  They do not shy away from a New Orleans vibe but rather embrace it fully with
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Little Red Corvette Jujube, Chapel Hill http://www.jujuberestaurant.com $9 The Little Red Corvette is made with agave syrup, tequila, and hibiscus nectar.  It was served in a double old-fashioned glass.  The drink was a beautiful carmine pink at bottom, with the shade getting lighter the higher up it went. Hibiscus is a great choice for a
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