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
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Tingletini @ Rockfish Southpoint, Durham Website The tingletini is made with passion fruit vodka, simple syrup, lime juice, and jalapeno peppers. Guess you know the tingle comes from that last ingredient, huh? The presentation for this cocktail is beautiful. I especially like how the crossed straws mimic the crossed jalapeno slivers. It’s almost clear, but
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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
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The Old Ceremony Motorco Central Park District, Durham $6 As you can see, I’m not talking the band here, which I happen to love, but the shooter named after them by Motorco. The first time I went to Motorco, I thought naming shots—there’s no cocktail list here, just fancy shots—after local bands was a fun
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Modern Paloma Rockfish Grill, Durham This cocktail—I hesitate to call it a margarita, though I think it was under that heading in the restaurant’s drink list—is made with Milagro silver tequila, Licor 43, and red grapefruit, orange, and lime juices. A paloma, I’ve just learned, is a popular Mexican cocktail made with tequila, grapefruit soda
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Revolution Red Cosmo Revolution, Durham Website $10 This drink is a pretty straight cosmopolitan except for a splash of pomegranate juice added to the vodka, Cointreau, and lime juice. It’s way stronger in flavor than a cosmo should be, meaning they probably added more than the advertised splash of everything but the vodka. I’m not
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Spiced Blackberry Jam 1/4 shot green Chartreuse 1 1/2 shot St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur 2 shots citrus vodka 1/2 shot lime juice 2 shots blackberry juice A few champagne grapes Shake everything together but the grapes. Place a few grapes in each cocktail glass, then pour the cocktail on top. Of course, using blackberries would
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Caipirosca Bahama Breeze, Raleigh Website A caipirosca is the Russian version (read: vodka) of a caipirinha, a Brazilian cocktail made with cachaça, lime, and sugar. Bahama Breeze takes the change in base liquors a step further by subbing in mango vodka. The sugar is replaced by a mango puree, but the lime stays the same.
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Hot Guava Dos Perros, Downtown Durham Restaurant Review $8 The Hot Guava is a margarita made from guava juice, jalapenos, tequila, and lime. The jalapeno was bright and powerful from the first sip, but I think that was the problem—all you could taste was that sweet heat and a little bit of sourness. It cancelled
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Kiuchi Yuzu Wine Japan Yuzu is a citrus fruit native to Japan. I’ve never tried yuzu wine before, or even yuzu for that matter, so this glass will be my first impressions of both. The color is a pleasant gold with some peach highlights. The nose is strong, sweet, and reminds me of peach again.
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