Saketini Shiki Sushi Southwest Durham Website $8 This is a very simple martini, consisting of vodka and Gekkeikan nigori sake, which is the creamy type for those of you not up on your sake terminology. Frankly, there’s no need to have a martini this simple; you might as well drink vodka or sake on their
Read more

Tokyo Punch Shiki Sushi Southwest Durham $7.75 Tokyo Punch was a lovely surprise for this cosmopolitan lover. Most people might assume that a cocktail made with vodka, cranberry, Midori, and brandy would be awfully similar to a cocktail made with vodka, cranberry, lime, and triple sec, but I somehow missed the connection between the two
Read more

Sitti 137 S. Wilmington Street Downtown Raleigh Website Hours: M—Th: 11 am to 10 pm F—Sat: 11 am to 12 am Sun: 11 am to 9pm Fill up for $8–$24 Sitti is an upscale, Lebanese restaurant in downtown Raleigh with a large selection of both hot and cold mezzes (appetizers/dips/small plates), salads, flatbread pizzas, kabobs,
Read more

So Old Fashioned Revolution, Downtown Durham Website $12 This drink serves mainly to remind me that I’m picking up quite the bourbon habit in the South. It’s made with Booker’s Bourbon, orange bitters, sugar, and candied orange, though I can’t vouch for there actually being candied orange in the drink—anyone else notice how easily advertised
Read more

Kiwi + Strawberry Caipiroska Piola Chapel Hill Website $7 This very pretty drink has the perfect ratio of alcohol to sweetness. The freshly muddled kiwi and strawberry add much to the good quality of the vodka, and the taste is clean and full of tasty bites of pulp. Definitely worth a drink! My only complaint
Read more

Two weeks ago, the Busy Bee invited me out to a promotional event for Cruzan 9, a new spiced rum. Appetizers and drinks were provided for free and highlighted a range of Cruzan’s offerings, in both cocktails and cooking explorations. The Busy Bee cleared their liquor shelves of all but Cruzan’s several flavored rums, and
Read more

Banana Split Beyu Caffe, Durham Website $8 This creamy cocktail is made from Stoli vodka, crème de banane, creme de cacao, and cream. The consistency of the drink wasn’t pretty, but it’s the nature of drinks mixed with cream to quickly divide up based on thicknesses of the fluids. The alcohol flavor was pretty strong.
Read more

My lovely friend, Laura, paid close attention to my status updates and decided to buy me a bottle of green chartreuse, a liqueur I’ve been intrigued about for years but never had the chance to purchase. She found it in NYC and voila! A long-time wish is fulfilled. Green chartreuse is a blend of 130
Read more

The Cue-Tue @ Tyler’s Restaurant and Tap Room Downtown Carrboro, NC We ate at the Carrboro location of Tyler’s Tap Room for the first time a few Thursdays ago. From the drink list, I settled on the Cue-Tue, not only an adorable name but also one that conveys both its cucumber base and its resemblance
Read more