WICKER PARK — A new summer cocktail menu debuted at Dove's Luncheonette in Wicker Park last week, but you might need to know DrinkSpeak in order to understand it.
The retro-style neighborhood diner worked with Eden Laurin, Managing Partner of sister-bar The Violet Hour, to create the new cocktails, which are heavy on mezcal and tequila as bases, according to a news release.
New highlights for the season at Dove's, 1545 N. Damen Ave., include the following. (We added the descriptions in bold).
El Caballo — A drink that begins with Arette Reposado (a high-quality smooth tequila made with agave), and is tempered (neutralized or balanced) with citrus from lemon, fruit-forward notes from ripe cherry (muddled/mashed fresh cherries from Seedling Farms), with Herbsainte (an absinthe liqueur tracing its roots to Prohibition-era New Orleans) and tarragon (a leafy herb garnishment) to pull it all together.
El Rio Grande — Italian aperitivos Campari (a pre-dinner drink) and Aperol (a bittersweet orange 11-percent alcohol apertif that's zesty and refreshing) get a kick from the addition of Lunazul Blanco (blue agave tequila), Dolin Blanc (light pale Parisian vermouth with a twist of citrus), lime and orange.
Ponche — A 2.0 summer sweet tea made with Lunazul (blue agave tequila), iced tea, Lemon, Demerara (a raw, crunchy sugar with origins in Guyana, a colony formerly called Demerara) and blackened peach.
The Cool Gent — Arette Anejo (an agave tequila cultivated in a town on the outskirts of Jalisco, Mexico), Solera 1847 Cream Sherry (a Spanish dessert wine named for the birthday of the winemaker's son), Cynar (an Italian herb liqueur made with artichokes), and Angostura bitters (a botanical alcoholic mixture made of water, ethanol, digestive-friendly gentian root, herbs and spices, from Trinidad).
The Cool Gent [Sandy Noto]
The Violet Spring — a refreshing citrus sipper (don't down it) that combines Xicaru (a small batch pure and translucent yet slightly smoky mezcal), Creme de Violette (a 40 proof Austrian violet liqueur), grapefruit, lemon and grapefruit bitters (fresh squeezed fruit juice boiled with sugar until it dissolves, creating a syrup).
The Violet Spring [Sandy Noto]
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