Latin Influence
By Steve Croyle |
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Defying Convention
Barrio's sangria
Photo: Christopher Atwood
Purists will tell you that there's no such thing as white sangria. Indeed, the very nomenclature of the beverage demands red wine serve as the base for this refreshing summer concoction. If you want to split hairs over etymology, be my guest, but when it's hot and humid I just want something cold and delicious, regardless of what it's called.
Barrio (185 N High St.) offers both red and white sangria, but on these hot and humid summer nights, you've got to go with the white. It's not as sweet as its red cousin, imparting the tart fruit notes of the un-oaked chardonnay blend. The wine is mixed with peach schnapps, apple juice, and fresh fruit (slices of apples and white peaches) that clearly spent most of the day swimming in alcohol.
Your best bet is to order it by the pitcher for $24, which gets you six glasses for the price of four. Then you can grab a table by one of the huge and most likely, open windows that face either Spring or High Street and relax while the rest of the city hustles by.
Tastes Like Burning
La Fogata Grill (790 N High St.) sits in the middle of what I like to call Patio Row on North High Street and if you happen to find yourself walking nearby, the siren call of chilled south-of-the-border beverages will probably lure you in. Obviously, these folks know how to make a damned fine margarita, but the house signature drink shares its name with one given to me by Eva Mendez: the Spicy Gringo.
La Fogata's Spicy Gringo
Photo: Christopher Atwood
La Fogata infuses tequila with hot chili peppers, and mixes in some Apple Pucker, apple juice and a splash of lime juice. I know, it sounds pretty nasty. It doesn't taste that way though, and it doesn't look bad either. The Spicy Gringo can be seen around the bar in large serving vessels, drunken peppers waving at you in a sea of booze. They look so happy and they want to be your friend.
The sweetness of the apple juice and schnapps take the edge off the heat, and if you happen to be one of those rare people who can taste the fruitiness in a hot pepper, it enhances the flavor of the those chilies. What initially sounds like a really foolish spring break dare is actually a nicely balanced drink served up in a rocks glass.
Several servers confirmed that the Spicy Gringo is always met with doubts initially, but the clever display and the boldness of the recipe usually entices at least one member of every group, and most people are instantly won over. Just watch out, this drink delivers a heavy hit of alcohol and, because of the fiery kick, it's not one you want to revisit when you're embracing the porcelain god.
Arghh!
The mojito is an ancient beverage that traces its roots Sir Francis Drake, a privateer who was a hero to England and a criminal to Spain. El Draque, as the Spanish called him, loved his rum. He was, after all, a pirate, and like most pirates, he wasn't much for oral hygiene. His breath was infamous, causing most of the ships he attacked to surrender immediately as opposing captains feared a request for parlay. Drake's bartenders took to loading his drinks with mint in hopes of making his breath slightly more agreeable and a beverage was born.
Third and Hollywood's Rogue Ginger Mojito
Photo: Christopher Atwood
Head bartender Nick Maynard explained that Third and Hollywood (1433 W Third Ave.) features a "scratch bar." They don't monkey around with bottled mixes. "I don't know why anybody would use those," he said. I couldn't argue with the man: the Rogue Ginger Mojito was fantastic. The best mixed drink I've had in while, in fact.
Nick mixes up a batch of ginger syrup every day. He plucks fresh sprigs of mint "right off the vine," squeezes the juice from a fresh cut lime and mixes that together with a heavy duty pour of Rogue Spirits (yes, the same Rogue that makes all that great craft-brewed beer) White Rum. Small batch, micro-distilled white rum. Good stuff.
It's not a cheap drink, but they don't skimp on the booze. Nick told me that he basically waves the soda wand over it. The result is a crisp, cold cocktail that goes down way too easily. The mint is subtle and the warm bite of ginger seals the deal, effectively cleansing the pallet so the last sip is every bit as nuanced as the first. Two left me a little wobbly, and a third might have had me running down Grandview Avenue with my shirt over my head. Well worth the $10-a-pop price tag.
Originally Published: July 1, 2009
