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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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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If you have both a sweet and spicy tooth, as I do, this cocktail is fantastic. It is made with passion fruit vodka, muddled jalapenos, honey, cilantro and something else I didn’t write down. The spiciness makes your throat tingle but the sweetness makes you forget all about it.

The Bee Line The Hive Website Downtown Raleigh The Bee Line is a fruity drink made with Cruzan Light, muddled strawberries, rhubarb bitters, brown sugar syrup, and honey.    Served up in a hurricane glass, it was quite tasty at first but gets watery by the halfway mark.  The level of sweetness was kept under control. 
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Bee’s Knees The Hive Downtown Raleigh Website I love a good bourbon cocktail so this drink called my name.  It’s comprised of bourbon, muddled pineapple, honey, soda water and rosemary.    Sadly, the alluring components did little to jazz up the bourbon; it would have been better merely served on the rocks.  The pineapple was diluted
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This weekend, I hit up the Txakoli Fest held at Six Plates Wine Bar in Durham.  A $5 entry fee gave you access to an afternoon and evening of live music and a traditional glass to take home.  Six Plates is always an enjoyable spot to pass the time as I love their goth-lite vibe,
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Hendrick’s in the Garden The Raleigh Times Bar http://www.raleightimesbar.com/ This cocktail was a mix of cucumber chunks, lavender syrup, gin, and club soda on the rocks.  The strong, yet bland gin quickly took control from the cucumber and sweet lavender.  It’s rare that I want the gin in a drink to be more flavorful but
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