Audio By Carbonatix
I’ve never understood why certain food and drink specialties are available just once a year. Do I only crave Cadbury Creme Eggs at Easter? Do I only want candy corn around Halloween, candy canes at Christmas? Had McDonald’s kept its Shamrock Shake on the menu year-round, perhaps children today would know the pleasure of a minty green milkshake. A much more adult minty beverage, the Mint Julep, traditionally has an even shorter shelf life: Its consumption has been limited to Kentucky Derby day. But now Nine 75 has turned the once-a-year treat into a daily indulgence. Made from Jim Beam Black, simple syrup and mint, with a Bacardi Superior Rum floater, this Mint Julep ($6.95) will set your Southern hemisphere on fire in no time. Other Nine 75 cocktail options include the Grapefruit Mojito ($6.95), which at first tasted like chewing mint gum right after brushing your teeth (ick), but whose weird tang was starting to grow on me by the second sip. Better was the Cinfusion ($7.95), which combines cucumber, cantaloupe and cranberry into a delicious megadose of vitamin C. One more not-to-miss item at the bar: the ceviche, served in a bowl filled with ice and glowing from a colored light below. By the time it arrived, I was glowing, too — maybe from the presentation, maybe from the cocktails, maybe from my discovery that during Nine 75’s happy hour, from 5 to 7 p.m., all specialty drinks are just $3.95. That’s reason to celebrate all year long.
