Alexis McKinnis, our local sex columnist and Girl Friday blogger, has been working hard over the past few weeks (and, yes, drinking can be very hard work sometimes) putting together her holiday drinks piece for Vita.mn in order to brighten our spirits. “This is the time of the year when twinkling colors are as much a requirement on the rim of your glass as they are on the glowing strands on your Christmas tree,” she writes, “when whiskey isn’t mandated for a hot toddy, and tequila turns into an affair you’ll actually remember.” (If I recall, which I really don’t, I may have had one or two of these affairs myself recently.)
“The holiday season is full of festive flavors and smells that professional and home bartenders are blending together in inventive, potable ways — and bestowing them with appropriately punny names,” writes McKinnis before introducing us to five exemplary cocktails from La Belle Vie, Om, The Strip Club, Azia, and Clubhouse Jäger. The best part — recipes included! But don’t feel limited by the list; if you have a favorite holiday cocktail, please share it with us here!
Looking for some eats to accompany your holiday drinking?
Here are a few solid articles on dining in the Twin Cities and beyond.
Stephanie March tells us her first visit to Subo, the newest restaurant to occupy the old Hell’s Kitchen space, was full of “good food with impressive flavors.”
Rick Nelson reviews Il Gatto, claiming “the reincarnation of Figlio in Uptown is decidedly feline, but quite feisty.”
Tom Horgan tells us a little bit more about the new NE hotspots Honey and Ginger Hop.
David, of Minneapolis MetBlogs, informs us that Duluth’s Hell’s Kitchen will be reopening as Hellburgers.
Philip Dorwart serves up some beef jerky tips for deer hunting season.
And Steve Marsh introduces us to Jim Christiansen, Corrine Sherbert, and Landon Schoenefeld, three of the area’s hottest up-and-coming chefs.
Latest comment — jane_: But I guess Hendrix and tonic is what I really enjoy; I was mistaken about the soda.