2014 Libations Review...

Top 10 Thirst Quenchers of 2014

I love looking back on some of the experiences I had over the course of the year at this time every year. Year after year, Philadelphia really blows me away with its quality and incredible ability to continue improving. This year was absolutely crazy in terms of quality openings and quality meals devoured. Great meals cant be had without accompanying libations. Here is a quick recap of the greatest hits of the year for me. 

10. The Ashes to Ashes at a.Kitchen - Eli Kulp restaurants popped up all over the city in the last two years, and they have all been rewarded with heaps of praise. Rightly so, because some of the best meals I had all year were at his restaurants. The Ashes to Ashes was a delicious concoction of Fernet Branca, rosemary honey, lemon and ginger. It was sweet, but not overly so, and the perfect way to prepare my palate for the deliciousness that was about to incur.The bar and restaurant are small, but the chefs and bartenders are skilled and there is tons of flavor hiding in a.Kitchen.

9. The Moscow Mule at Pub & Kitchen - Pub and Kitchen has been one of my favorite hang outs since the Chef Johnny Mac days. Things have changed quite a bit there since then, but its still all good. Eli Collins replaced him in the kitchen, and has changed the food menu quite a bit, but the classic bar offerings and beers here are as incredible as they have ever been. I had one of my new favorite drinks here and it was stellar. A Moscow mule contains vodka, ginger beer and fresh lime juice. Be careful, these can go down quickly and sneak up on you.

8. The Classic Margarita at Lolita - Marcie Turney and Valarie Safran's revamp of their Mexican winner is a hit and you should go check it out immediately. Moving from the higher end Mexican to more street style food and dropping the BYOB and adding a full bar have been an incredible improvement for a place that was already really good. One of those new drinks, the classic margarita, a simple mix of blanco tequila, cointreau and fresh lime juice, is delicious and pairs well with all of the delicious tacos flying out of the kitchen.

7. Glenlivit 15 Year Scotch at Butcher and Singer - During restaurant week this past winter, we ran into the rep for Glenlivit while waiting to sit down to dinner. He bought us a round of drinks, trying to get us to give his company's liquor a try, and I was so glad that he did. It changed my perspective on scotch and really brought me into the scotch game for the very first time. I loved it, and I am sure you will too.

6. The Whiskey Sour at Stateside - I really wish I had gotten to try Stateside when George Sabatino was still in the kitchen. I made it there a few times for drinks this year, and I was incredibly impressed with each and every drink I had there. The craft and care they take to make their cocktails is phenomenal. Ordering a whiskey sour here is more than just ordering a drink, it's an experience. Order one and watch your bartender closely. It's an art form and its delicious to boot. The egg white froths it up, the whiskey packs a punch, and the froth is even monogrammed so you don’t forget where you ordered it from.

5. The Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition at Abe Fisher - This was probably the best place I ate at all year. I ate here more than any other place and the food, drinks and service are fantastic. I didn’t know I could like a restaurant as much or better than Zahav, but this restaurant is killer and makes me think twice. One of my favorite cocktails here, the Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition is a mixture of barbancourt 8 year rum, pedro ximenez wine, grand marnier and beet juice. Hot damn that’s a tasty drink! It packs a whallop, but its smooth and well rounded.

4. The Negroni at Alla Spina - There aren’t many better things than a perfectly made Negroni. One thing that can make it better is having it on tap. Alla Spina offers you just that, a delicious conconction of gin, vermouth and campari on the rocks. Its bitter and is the perfect thing to start an evening with at Marc Vetri's beautiful Italian gastropub. Even better, have one in the summer when the garage doors are flipped open and sit outside.

3. The Franciacorta at Abe Fisher ­- Brian Kane, the former Zahav sommelier, now spending most of his time over at Abe Fisher is killing it. The cocktails, beer and wine at Abe Fisher are outstanding, and he offers up some of the best the city has to offer. One of those, a fantastic Franciacorta from Lombardia in northern Italy, was hands down one of the best things I have ever tasted in my life. It’s a sparkling wine that is more refreshing than champagne and just a touch more dry. Its truly fantastic.

2. The Gin Orange Fennel Cucumber at The Aldine Popup at Cheu Noodle Bar - We were lucky enough to score some seats for the Aldine popup where George Sabatino and his wife Jennifer previewed their upcoming restaurant. We sat directly in front of Jennifer, who was on cocktail duty, and she told us that she came up with this cocktail because she juices a lot at home and one day while drinking it, she said to herself that it would taste awesome with some gin in it. She was beyond right. This was one of the tastiest things to touch my lips in recent memory. The juices are all perfectly paired together and gin could not have been a better match for all of their tastes. It was incredibly satisfying and went with each and every bite that evening. 

1. The Pickled Watermelon Margarita at Sancho Pistolas - I did an awesome thing with one of my friends from work this year. It was the third annual Tour de Taco, a 20 mile bike ride around the city, stopping at 10 different taco shops from South Philly, to University City and ending in Northern Liberties. The ninth stop on the tour, was at newcomer Sancho Pistolas. I hadn’t had a cocktail all day, and the beer was filling me up too much, so I asked the server which margarita she recommended and without hesitation she said the pickled watermelon. I never would have guessed how good it was. It disappeared from my glass so quickly I immediately ordered another one. You can say what you want about men drinking pink drinks, but this margarita was absurd. It was hard to keep it in the glass. I couldn’t put it down long enough to eat my taco. I wound up downing two of them in mere minutes and would have kept going if we didn’t have one more place to hit for tacos.

I would love to hear back from anyone about drinks out there that they think are top 10 worthy. Particularly I would love to hear about them so I know to try them when I head to those places! Cheers!