So we headed out to Euclid Hall, our pick for Best New Restaurant, and asked the affable bartender to create something non-alcoholic based on our affinity for drinks that are brown, bitter and stirred.
His take: A layered blend of house-made cherry grenadine (which actually isn't too sweet), house-made acidic sour mix, grapefruit juice and pineapple juice. It was a smart mix; the mocktail managed to give us the bitter, tart and sweet flavors we craved (and we only missed the whiskey a little bit), and it paired satisfactorily with a gravy- and cheese curd-smothered pile of fries.
We still think ordering mocktails is a little like going to the fine dining mecca and ordering the vegetarian-tasting menu, thus cheating yourself out of half the magic. But when you want to start a night slow to prolong the moment of booze-fueled climax, or for those occasions when you just don't want to -- or can't -- drink, we think it's time the sober sippers get a little more love. Plus, with all the house-made bitters, tinctures and tonics that we see in bars, we're willing to bet there are some excellent spirit-less substitutions out there, like that grapefruit-pineapple-cherry boat drink we got at Euclid Hall.
And when we find them, we'll report on them here.
Know of a good one? Tell us about it in the comments.
