I've been really into classic cocktails lately, trying all those drinks that I have only read about or seen on Mad Men. Last week, however, I was more in the mood for something new so when I went to the Carlyle Grill in Ann Arbor, MI last Thursday, I asked the bartender, Aaron to surprise me with something not on the menu. My only criteria was nothing too sweet.
If you haven't been there, the Carlyle is a little out of the way on Jackson Rd in Ann Arbor but features a great menu, a short but respectable wine list and some signature cocktails. One of the draws for me is that that they tend to have a friendly bar staff that is unafraid to experiment. If I had one complaint, it would be that their drink menu has become stagnant (this could also be a reflection of how many times I have been there having once lived around the corner) so if you go I encourage you to explore off menu options.
What he came back with was a creation of his own, the Samuel L. Jackson. I have to be honest, had I read the ingredients on a drink menu, this would not have been one to catch my eye but I was pleasantly surprised. An ounce or so each of Smirnoff Citrus and Chambord topped off with Sprite, the drink has a layered look with the purple settling to the bottom. After a long day of packing, it was perfect, sweet but not cloyingly so. Thanks, Aaron!
What he came back with was a creation of his own, the Samuel L. Jackson. I have to be honest, had I read the ingredients on a drink menu, this would not have been one to catch my eye but I was pleasantly surprised. An ounce or so each of Smirnoff Citrus and Chambord topped off with Sprite, the drink has a layered look with the purple settling to the bottom. After a long day of packing, it was perfect, sweet but not cloyingly so. Thanks, Aaron!
