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The Porthole • Park Social, 224 E. Olmos Drive, (210) 822-0100, park-social.com
The Porthole may be an admitted rip-off of a drink system Park Social's David Naylor learned while at Chicago's Aviary — and it does require equipment and techniques not in everybody's wheelhouse ... but wait: According to Naylor, a dedicated cadre of Olmos Parkers has become enamored enough of the $25 (serves two) drink that they have sprung for the porthole toy, inspiring him to contemplate doing a class or two on how to DIY. Naylor's own first concoction at Park was meant to be sipped in shot form; it changed substantially from first drink to last. The latest iteration, number three, is very different. Think of it as an updated clarified milk punch with brandy, dark rum, bourbon, citrus and spices, milk oolong tea, cacao nibs and even hay — from his parent's sheep ranch. "It's kinda like chocolate milk, though heavier and more chocolatey with time. It's quite soft but will definitely catch up to you," he says. Grab a friend and take the ride.
Stroke of Genius • Brigid, 803 S. St. Mary's St., (210) 236-7885, brigidrestaurant.com
Now that Nick Kenna is filling the considerable shoes of Olaf Harmel at Brigid's diminutive bar, he has been tasked with coming up with a drink list to pay appropriate homage to the legend. "I'm looking for 20 total by January — 10 classic, 10 proprietary," says Kenna. Enter the already-ready-for-prime-time, decidedly not-classic Stroke of Genius, a cocktail with Austin-distilled Genius Gin as its base. In addition to the very floral gin, Kenna uses Pink, a new-style rosé Port from Croft (sipped solo, it comes across all raspberries and bright cherries), the orange-derived French digestif/amaro known as China-China, a dash each of orange and Angostura bitters, and a lemon swath. It's both pretty and potent at the same time. We await the next nine.
The Guns of Brixton • Sternewirth, 136 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-7375, thehotelemma.com
The Three Emmas may have the best backstory (Lust! Infidelity! Murder!) at Hotel Emma's Sternewirth bar, but The Guns of Brixton comes in a close second, and may be the better cocktail — when properly made. (The first time it was eye-opening, the second, on a busier night, it was out of balance to the sweet side.) So assuming that this young operation sorts out any inconsistency issues soon, here's what to expect: Earl Grey tea, gin, cacao, lemon, Smith & Cross overproof rum, served on the rocks with a grapefruit slab. The fragrant Bergamot from the tea is first and forward but plays well with the subtler cacao. It's a drink that evolves beautifully in the glass. As for The Guns of Brixton, the Clash lyrics are more nihilistic than the drink ever could be — "You can crush us, you can bruise us..." Probably not a reference to muddling.
Punch Drunk Punk • The Old Main Assoc., 2512 N. Main Ave., (210) 562-3440, facebook.com/theoldmainassoc
Until now, Old Main has been coasting along, not without success, on a hit parade of drinks from sibling bars Brooklynite and The Last Word. Hand-me-downs no longer rule the new cocktail menu, from which an early favorite is the Punch Drunk Punk. Yes, it has mezcal — sorry, it's a thing. As developed by bartender Ben Guerra and manager Steven Martín, the drink started out with the mezcal infused with flor de Jamaica (hibiscus) and a tequila float and morphed into a Jamaica simple syrup to be added to the mix with straight mezcal, Cynar, both lime and lemon, and a couple of drops of a hella-hot house-made chile tincture. No tequila. Watching this drink evolve into a thing of beauty — its smoke and floral qualities elevated by the tincture — was a helluva lot of fun, too.
Rebecca Creek Bloody Mary • Luke, 125 E. Houston St., (210) 557-5853, lukesanantonio.com
For me, this was the year of the bloody mary. Maybe I had that many hangovers to cure, or maybe I just like snacking on all the accoutrements that come with most bloodies. Whatever the reason, I've no idea why it took me so long to discover Lüke's Rebecca Creek bloody mary, a massive mason jar's worth of all things sour, salty and delicious. They start with Enchanted Rock vodka, Zing Zang's bloody mix, a healthy dose of horseradish and end with a pickle-filled skewer with house-made picklin's and two jumbo Gulf shrimp. Hangover or not, this bloody is damn good.
