Hemingway Daiquiri at the Capital Grille

I am a creature of habit. In the past, when I found myself at the bar at Capital Grille — which was quite often, since this steakhouse in Larimer Square is both an easy spot to start an evening and a handy place to end one — I always ordered...

By Nancy Levine

July 29, 2010

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I am a creature of habit. In the past, when I found myself at the bar at Capital Grille — which was quite often, since this steakhouse in Larimer Square is both an easy spot to start an evening and a handy place to end one — I always ordered a Stoli Doli ($12), a martini made with pineapple-infused Stolichnaya Vodka. I've had a lot of extraordinary nights drinking Stoli Dolis — and a few really bad nights drinking them, too. Because while this cocktail is damn tasty, it's also deceptively potent — and the smoked salmon I often ordered to sop up some of the alcohol (from an appetizer list that doesn't have many good bar options) was rarely an adequate sponge. But when I stopped by the Capital Grille recently, I discovered that not only does it have a new bar menu that's been introduced at all of the chain's steakhouses — fantastic miniature tenderloin sandwiches with wild mushrooms and Boursin cheese, lobster and crab burgers, lollipop lamb chops — but new drink offerings as well. Fortified by a few of the new snacks, I ordered a Hemingway Daiquiri ($9), made with Cruzan Estate light rum, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, freshly squeezed lime, ruby red grapefruit juice and cane sugar syrup. This twist on a classic shaken daiquiri was as good a version as I've had in Denver (where, admittedly, there have been very few to try). I still love the Stoli Doli, but this Hemingway Daiquiri could become a habit — and it's already reason to stop by the Capital Grille even more often.

Nancy Levine

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