Fierce Swig: Craft&Commerce

Spring is HERE!

 ..Where? at Craft and Commerce(C&C) at least. C&C debuts there new and revamped cocktail menu for the spring season.  This is exciting since I'm always a fan of there drink program.  Actually, now I can officially recommend this place to my friends as my unofficial GO-to spot for DTSD craft cocktails.. I visited C&C a handful of time and every time I'm there I leave pretty darn satisfy to say the least. Good eats, great drinks and a perfect social atmosphere; what more can I ask.

Since I'm here to write about the new drink menu I'll spare you the drool and skip the food and head straight to the liquid goodness. But just a inside tip: If you ever need anything to soak up the alchie, do yourself a favor and order the corndog, fries or mac and cheese with a side order of sriracha..Cha!

Round 1 (drink descriptions in clockwise order starting in the front)

 

1. The Odd Couple: rye whiskey, pear liqueur, angostura bitters, mezcal rinse

I'd consider this drink to be an oddball as the name openly suggests.  Almost a cross between an Apéritifs and a digestief, if that's possible? First time having pear liqueur, although, I would have like more of the pear flavor to shine through.  BUT, it did its job and tamed the smoky and spicy notes from both the rye and mezcal making it into a perfect well-balanced marriage indeed. When I got the drink the volume was deceiving to say the least.  It looked like a shooter but don't be fooled,  this is as craft and complex as it gets.  Served chill and neat this one is a sipper for sure.. slow sipping!   

2. Flak Jacket: blended scotch, islay scotch, punt e mes, honey, mole bitters

To simply put it a smoky scotch based old fashioned. Wow I'm sucker for things like this. Citrus, honey and smoke anchored by subtly integrated sharp flavors from the biters and vermouth makes this a go to for anyone a fan of clear dark liquor drinks. 

3. John Birch Fizz: bourbon, galliano, sweet vermouth, lemon, egg white, fizz

Wow! this was my winner of the night. My girlfriend loved it(she makes an unpleasant face drinking anything dark and strong) so for all you girls out there that say eww to dark liquors please give this a try, and thank me later. The vanilla and star anise undertones of the galliano really did its magic and tied it all together.  Finally, thanks to the egg whites and fizzzzz the drink was frothy and had a excellent round mouth feel. Believe it or not the bourbon is non-existent in a good way here and you sure wouldn't notice it if I haven't told you so.

4. The Good Sinner: St. Germaine, pineapple, absinthe, bubbles

Lastly, we ordered the good sinner in the champagne section.  Knowing its going to be on the lighter and more refreshing side it turned out to be exactly that; an easy drinking sparkler.  Bottom line you can't go wrong with any drink that has St. Germaine in it.  Well, in my opinion at least.

Moving along..

Tea time?

.. Each drink we had was delicious and we swigged it down easy.  Not gunna lie..we were getting buzzed already and early.  Must be the good company?! and most definitely the potent concoctions these guys from C&C shook/stir up.  Naturally we would order some food, which we did (cordogs and fries), and proceed to another round of deadly liquid yum.  But not this time, instead, I saw something that I always longed for but never had the opportunity or courage to get.  Yes that's right, the punch bowls that most "good" craft drink places have.  Our buddy Matthew also sold us the idea by convincing us that a punch bowl would be much cheaper than to get another four individual cocktails.  But the joke would be on us later when the bill comes. $42 ÷ 4 ≠ $8 just saying!!

Keep it classy, pinky's up everyone

Edens Orchard: rye whiskey, fino sherry, fuji apple syrup, lemon, whiskey, barrel-aged bitters, champagne

The gals to guys ratio was even here and as one can assume the girls usually go for the light and fruity and the guys go for the more dark and heavier concoctions. After pondering on for several long minutes, surprisingly, we agreed upon a rye based punch.  I think the John Birch Fizz we had earlier won us all over and contributed to our decision.   The drink was a tad sweet when we got it must be from the use of the sherry and apple syrup but nonetheless it was still absolutely mouthwatering good.  Eventually the large chuck of ice mellowed everything out to perfection.
'Cocktails for several ladies and Gentlemen' is what C&C claims on their menu.  I personally think these bowls are so yummy you can swig or gulp the entire bowl yourself, if your not careful. At the end of the night things got a bit wacky as the alcohol really kicked us in the ass and we started drinking out of the bowl. Hey! the heck we figure you only live once and mama says punch is always better drank directly out of the bowl rather than inky-dinky tea cups. 

Ending notes~

Craft and Commerce is always a win win and haven't let me down since my very first visit.  Thank you, I salute to you until my next drunken visit, or perhaps when the seasons change again.

Santé