The locavore movement has stretched beyond the pots and pans of restaurant kitchens, and into the stainless steel shakers of the lads and lasses behind the stick. What that means is the advent of the inevitable "garden-to-glass" cocktail menu at your favorite watering hole, featuring a roster of inebriants infused with fresh, seasonal ingredients, and spiked with local liquors. As the temperature outside trends upward from warm to scorched earth, those fresh ingredient-based boozers become more prevalent all over town.
On the list, you'll find drinks made with produce by local sourcerers at restaurants like Supper and White Dog, and augmented with house-grown herbs from the bars at Square 1682 and Le Virtu.
Without further ado, here are the 12 Best Garden-to-Glass Cocktails and the bars where you can find these sustainable sips.
Just like Chef Greg Vernick’s food, the cocktails at Rittenhouse favorite Vernick use only the crispest ingredients, local when possible. Try the Calindri Cure - cynar, tawny port, genever, fresh ginger, and citrus - or the Old Cuban - rum, lime, fresh mint, and sparkling wine.
This restaurant and lounge belies its corporate hotel chain status by stocking the bar with locally made and sourced cocktail ingredients. Try A Collins Please, Sweetie, made with Shine Libertea, local honey, and house-made lemon soda.
At Aimee Olexy and Stephen Starr’s Washington Square farm-to-table stronghold, you can drink garden-fresh cocktails right in the midst of a lush garden. Try Daytripper, made with Bulleit Bourbon, local strawberries, and fresh mint.
Chef Mitch Prensky is no stranger to sourcing locally in his kitchen, and the ethos extends to his bar with the Big Fun, made with Appleton V/X, aperol, lime juice, angostura bitters, and local honey from Blue Elephant farm.
It doesn’t get more local than the herb wall on the surface of the restaurant itself. Try the Pratola - muddled fresh strawberries from Green Meadow, mint from the herb wall, sweet vermouth, vodka, black pepper - or the Sirente – berentzen pear liqueur, stoli vanilla, and charred rosemary from the herb wall.
The sage used in Square 1682’s cocktails is so local it’s grown on the restaurant’s roof. Try the Blue Sage - Herradura Silver, lime, coconut sugar, POM, fresh sage leaves, and locally sourced blueberries.
Audrey Claire Taichman is no stranger to locally sourced food. The Garden Gnome is truly straight from the garden, crafted with house-made organic limoncello, watermelon, basil, sparkling wine, rhubarb bitters and Rhum Clement Creole Shrubb liqueur.
El Rey’s mysterious cocktail bar the Ranstead Room just unveiled a fresh summer menu this week, featuring pours like the Clover Club made with gin, lemon, muddled raspberries (in season right now!), and egg white.
Humanitarian Judy Wicks founded White Dog in 1983 as a tiny shop serving muffins and coffee. It’s grown into an icon of the ocal food scene, and even though Wicks passed the restaurant on, it's strong as ever. Try the Rhuby, made with fresh strawberry rhubarb puree, fresh muddled mint, RHUBARB tea liqueur and soda.
Conshocken’s Isabella just debuted a farm-fresh cocktail menu for summer, featuring local rhubarb in the colorful Rhubarb Mojito, organic local cucumber in the Cucumber Lime Martini and local Wildflower Honey in the Lavender Martini.
London Grill has a solid drink menu, boasting 15+ local craft beers, an expansive wine list, and house-infused cocktails. Try the Needles, Guns and Grass, made with blueberry-black pepper infused white dog, lemongrass simple syrup, fresh lime juice, and club soda.
Just like Chef Greg Vernick’s food, the cocktails at Rittenhouse favorite Vernick use only the crispest ingredients, local when possible. Try the Calindri Cure - cynar, tawny port, genever, fresh ginger, and citrus - or the Old Cuban - rum, lime, fresh mint, and sparkling wine.
This restaurant and lounge belies its corporate hotel chain status by stocking the bar with locally made and sourced cocktail ingredients. Try A Collins Please, Sweetie, made with Shine Libertea, local honey, and house-made lemon soda.
At Aimee Olexy and Stephen Starr’s Washington Square farm-to-table stronghold, you can drink garden-fresh cocktails right in the midst of a lush garden. Try Daytripper, made with Bulleit Bourbon, local strawberries, and fresh mint.
Chef Mitch Prensky is no stranger to sourcing locally in his kitchen, and the ethos extends to his bar with the Big Fun, made with Appleton V/X, aperol, lime juice, angostura bitters, and local honey from Blue Elephant farm.
It doesn’t get more local than the herb wall on the surface of the restaurant itself. Try the Pratola - muddled fresh strawberries from Green Meadow, mint from the herb wall, sweet vermouth, vodka, black pepper - or the Sirente – berentzen pear liqueur, stoli vanilla, and charred rosemary from the herb wall.
The sage used in Square 1682’s cocktails is so local it’s grown on the restaurant’s roof. Try the Blue Sage - Herradura Silver, lime, coconut sugar, POM, fresh sage leaves, and locally sourced blueberries.
Audrey Claire Taichman is no stranger to locally sourced food. The Garden Gnome is truly straight from the garden, crafted with house-made organic limoncello, watermelon, basil, sparkling wine, rhubarb bitters and Rhum Clement Creole Shrubb liqueur.
El Rey’s mysterious cocktail bar the Ranstead Room just unveiled a fresh summer menu this week, featuring pours like the Clover Club made with gin, lemon, muddled raspberries (in season right now!), and egg white.
Humanitarian Judy Wicks founded White Dog in 1983 as a tiny shop serving muffins and coffee. It’s grown into an icon of the ocal food scene, and even though Wicks passed the restaurant on, it's strong as ever. Try the Rhuby, made with fresh strawberry rhubarb puree, fresh muddled mint, RHUBARB tea liqueur and soda.
Conshocken’s Isabella just debuted a farm-fresh cocktail menu for summer, featuring local rhubarb in the colorful Rhubarb Mojito, organic local cucumber in the Cucumber Lime Martini and local Wildflower Honey in the Lavender Martini.
London Grill has a solid drink menu, boasting 15+ local craft beers, an expansive wine list, and house-infused cocktails. Try the Needles, Guns and Grass, made with blueberry-black pepper infused white dog, lemongrass simple syrup, fresh lime juice, and club soda.
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