Foundation
Downtown Raleigh, NC
Website
I shy away from cocktails that have soda as a main ingredient—I prefer less dilution and more thoughtful ingredient combinations than soda-based drinks usually reflect. The root beer flip at Foundation, however, is an absolutely delicious cocktail that I don’t regret breaking that rule for at all. The flip in the name means that this drink follows a style first established in the 17th century that included beer, rum, and sugar served hot. Over time that combination morphed into today’s idea of a flip, which can cover anything that uses a spirit, egg, and sugar. Foundation’s root beer flip includes root beer, egg yolk, brown sugar syrup, and Cruzan Rum. And it’s delicious.
The egg makes this cocktail taste every bit as rich and creamy as a root beer float, though you don’t taste any egg flavor at all. If you’re a fan of floats, there’s no reason you wouldn’t like this drink, and who’s not a fan of root beer floats? It’s just the right size, too, so you don’t miss the ice cream until after you’ve finished the drink.
Rum, root beer, brown sugar all shaken up with a frothy, smooth egg? Give it a try. You won’t be sorry, you’ll just be smiling.
Reviewed 18 August 11.
Most of my posts on nightlife feature a specific cocktail that I’ve enjoyed rather than focusing on the atmosphere of the bar, club, or wine bar that I’m patronizing. Largely, that’s because I care more about what’s in my glass than I do what’s playing on the speakers. However, I am far more likely to enjoy neighborhood dive bars and wine bars than I am a club or anywhere with loud music. I’ll still give the latter a try, and if the beverages are inventive and fun, I’ll be back no matter the soundtrack!