TGIFriday's

Mai Tai

 

For some reason, I had a mean craving for a Mai Tai.  I never opt for fruity drinks, and I was really hoping for a giant hurricane glass, but this really hit the spot.  Our bartender was a chode, and totally in mack mode.  He ribbed us for ordering Mai Tai's, then made a couple of unintentionally homosexual references to himself, which made me snicker and he quickly struggled to regain his machismo.  Whatever, dude.  Aaaaanyway, the drink was pretty tasty.  I always forget about rum.  The options, in my inexperienced mind, are pretty limited.  It's never a liquor I think to drink, but when used correctly it's delicious!  This drink (and this blog, because I'll run out of other things eventually, right?) has given me a reason to explore the possibilities of rum.  All in all, 4 out of 5.  If not only due to the craving I had for this specific drink.

p.s.  The Oberon sucks at Friday's.  Don't order one. 

The Highland Cleanse--Seva

Laphroaig. It is not a single malt scotch for the weak of heart. As my dear friend Dawn (who crafted this lovely, smokey, but definitely not for everyone cocktail) said, "It smells like band-aids!" And it's true, it really does.

The Highland is a combination of lemon juice, Michigan maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. The cocktail starts out with a nice fresh lemon juice taste and finishes with that great, strange, smells like your weird uncle smokey flavor of Laphroaig (also every time I type that I think of Professor Frink saying it, "LA-FROI-GUM!"). The cayenne is a garnish, so it settles to the bottom of the glass, which makes the end of the drink a little undrinkable but the cocktail is great nonetheless.

Here's the bummer part: on the menu it states that its made with a splash of lemonade, which it is for customers. Total bummer, because after the first delicious drink I felt like a classy dame ready for another. I got the lemonade version and it was all old-man stink with no yummy, refreshing, "cleansing" tart lemon juice to cut it. Boo.

Laphroaig is definitely not for everyone. so if it doesn't sound like your thing, don't do it! You will totally hate it.

2.5 out of 5---due to the use of lemonade and the generally unpalatable taste of Laphroaig to just about everyone except for me and old white dudes.