In Drinking Stories, Bridget Callahan and Sarah Sphar go to a bar, have a few drinks and talk about them. For this installment, we visit Zinc Bistro on Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland to sample the signature cocktails.
The Place
Bridget: Here is what I know about gin. I know it’s made from juniper berries, and that the “gin and tonic” was invented as a way to mask quinine for malarial treatments. I also know that I don’t usually like it. But on a recent trip to Zinc Bistro, tucked away between buildings on Euclid like a private patio, I ended up drinking not one but two gin drinks. If you know me, you know this would never normally happen. My past experience with gin has been limited to watching it turn ex-boyfriends into car salesmen.
First of all, I really like the outdoor space at Zinc. I didn’t actually go inside at all, it was just so hot and it felt good to sit outside in the night air with the thunderstorms threatening to show up. The décor itself is reminiscent of a nice hotel, unassuming but not offensive. There’s lots of space, and since it’s set away from the street, it feels kind of exclusive.
Sarah: I liked the space, too, though I did have trouble finding it initially. I'm glad it's not right on Euclid - I don't like the monkeys-at-the-zoo feeling while I'm eating or drinking. Of course I enjoy anything that feels exclusive. I parked right underneath the restaurant and took an elevator up. Though I will say the unfinished underground parking still feels a little Mad Max.
The Drinks
Bridget: My first drink was La Fleur Boheme, with gin, pink grapefruit, “bubbles” and elderflower. I mean, the main reason I picked this one was the “bubbles”. How can you turn down something that promises Barbie-colored effervescence? This drink certainly delivered on the pink. It was a pink chiffon prom dress. Also just like the prom, it started out all innocent and lacy, but underneath all those delicate ruffles was a punch. A punch that came with a little dry mouth, and enough courage to order another gin drink. This drink in fact turned out to be the girl who skips the prom and spends the night drinking out of a flask down at the lake. The edible flower was a nice touch, and rounds out this metaphor nicely, corsage and all that. I would definitely recommend this drink, but I don’t know if I could handle more than two of them myself. Also like prom.
Sarah: I doubt there are too many prom-goers traveling with a flask of chartreuse, which was the featured liquor in Zinc's Grand Garnier, a combination of chartreuse, Grand Marnier, orange and lime. I ordered this one because I am on a quest to taste as many chartreuse drinks as possible, plus the French-bistro theme really lent itself to a liqueur invented by French monks in the 18th century. I like a little history with my cocktails. I also like chartreuse because it was, for me, a later-in-life discovery - one of those little surprises that reminds you that you don't already know everything. That there are boozes beyond vodka and Captain Morgan.
The flavor of chartreuse comes from the extracts of 132 different plants, so it's very herbaceous. It was especially bracing with the orange and lime, though I did keep getting that lime zest in my teeth. A lot of people think chartreuse tastes like medicine, which is only true if you mean "medicine" like Marvin Gaye means medicine in "Sexual Healing."
It's good medicine, is what I'm saying.
Bridget: Now the Zinc Rickey? I could easily drink those all night. If the last drink was a prom dress, this was a red nightie. Tell me something includes muddled maraschino cherries and fire? I’m sold. It looked like it might be too sweet when we first got it, but underneath its red lip-gloss glow, it had just enough tartness to balance out the taste. Like an actual cherry pie, instead of a store bought monstrosity of sugar. I think you can always judge a drink by the conversation it inspires, and this one brought up The New Yorker a lot. And we weren’t being pretentious at all! I mean, maybe we were? This drink hides that well.
Sarah: The Zinc Rickey is a definite do-again, if for no other reason than the bartender-patron cameraderie it inspires. It's labor-intensive as drinks go, and I think this is a good thing for the drinking public. For one thing, you get a much better drink. For another, it's good if you can have a little banter with the person behind the bar. It's nice to feel like a guest as opposed to a tab.
Do you know of a signature drink we should try? Email us at info@ohioauthority.com.
