Mocktails: How I Got My Groove Back
Mocktails made me cool again…
The swankiest bars now have a spirit free cocktail menu?
It’s true! On my recent trip to New York City I bellied up to the brand new Lobby Bar in the newly reopened Hotel Chelsea. The red leather covered menu listed small plates, light fare and of course, a list of House Cocktails named appropriately for the Hotel Chelsea’s famed and somewhat notorious past…my brother went with “The Naked Lunch” (a 1959 novel by William S. Burroughs a Chelsea Hotel regular- the drink shown above left) … and to my surprise a short list of Spirit Free Cocktails followed.
Finally the sober life can be cool.
I spent a pretty big part of the early aughts in bars…whether I was behind one, sitting at one, or occasionally on one…I loved the scene, the energy, the music, the fun, and a good cocktail…or ten…the sun has since set on those days and I have found my vibe in a sober lifestyle but, I still want to get out and about!
I love a swanky hotel bar and the Lobby Bar at the Chelsea delivered…after all bitters and tonic looses its luster after a few years and the time to level up the Mocktail game is long overdue.
The Lobby Bar has that NYC style, bringing luxury to Bohemia. Velvet furnishings, fringe, wood, low lighting, and art that remained from before the hotel renovation on the walls. The bar and tables packed with fashionable locals and chic travelers. (it really is a feeling that reflects…”It will always be New York or Nowhere”)
Let’s just say…The Strawberry Sbagliato (above right) gave me my groove back.
The Recipe: Non-Alcoholic Aperitivo, Strawberry, Sparkling Lemon Verbena Tea, Cacao Butter- served chilled, neat, in a wine glass with a sugared rim.
Cheers!
