holiday parties
Where / What / When spanish & latino
for reservations please visit www . thesocakitchen . com
FUN ! FUNNER !
FUNNEST !
ROLLER COASTER , BUMPER CARS , LASER TAG , ROCK WALL ,
JUNGLE GYM AND ..... FUNHAVEN ESCAPES
AN ESCAPE EXPERIENCE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY # 1 IN FAMILY FUN
WWW . FUNHAVEN . COM on vodka
Alex Yugin
Avant Garde Bar
It should come as no surprise that this Soviet-themed bar — complete with propaganda art posters on the walls and borscht on the menu — boasts a fine vodka list with many Russian vodkas .
Since vodka can be made from just about any organic base material ( potatoes , fruits , or grains ), Yugin says that the best ones will use a quality base ingredient and the purest water available . Most sophisticated vodkas will be distilled more than once and filtered , often through charcoal , to remove any impurities .
When it comes to choosing a sipping vodka , Yugin , who is from St . Petersburg , singles out Zubrowka Bison Vodka from Poland .
Distilled from rye , Zubrowka is flavoured with a tincture of bison grass , which gives it a distinct herbaceous character along with a faint yellow hue . Each bottle contains one long blade of the grass , which is traditionally harvested in northeastern Poland . With notes of coconut , dill , and vanilla , this spirit totally dismantles the myth that vodka is flavourless and boring . Yugin serves Zubrowka in an icy glass and recommends enjoying sips of premium vodka in between , and — why not ?— nibbles of crunchy pickles . on rum
Julia Hussien and Zach Smith
Salt
Though admittedly more of a bourbon bar , Salt ’ s rum selection is nothing to sneeze at . The Preston Street restaurant offers an assortment of white and brown rums ( the latter are darkened by extra aging ).
Salt ’ s bartenders advise that a good rum should be semi-sweet ( it is a sugarcane spirit , after all ) and will usually feature warming spices — think cloves , cinnamon , nutmeg . To enjoy simply , Hussien likes to serve it over ice with a little brown sugar ; Smith suggests ice and a hint of lime juice to brighten the spirit .
Though rum cocktails might transport you to the Caribbean , Smith calls autumn and winter “ rum-sipping season .”
For newcomers to rumsipping , the bartenders suggest Flor de Caña Centenario 12 , from Nicaragua , or Brugal 1888 , from the Dominican Republic ; the former is aged 12 years in American oak barrels ( which previously held whisky and bourbon ), while the latter is aged in American oak before being finished in Spanish oak sherry casks . Both are smooth , buttery , and slightly toasty with notes of caramel and baked apple ; the Flor de Caña offers notes of vanilla and spice , while the Brugal has a hint of smokiness .