LUCKY BREWGRILLE
BEST
OF
DRINK
The meeting place in Mission!
BEST PITCHER Pimm's Sparkling Sangria Westport CafĂŠ and Bar 419 Westport Road | 816-931-4740
‡ Visit our large shaded patio! ‡ Join Us For Our New Happy Hour... Food & Drink Specials! ‡ Live Jazz Friday Nights 6-9pm with the Ron Carlson Jazz Trio COFFEE SHOP Opens at 7am Breakfast Sandwiches
Open 7 Days a Week
11am to 10pm Now Open 9am on Sundays
BRUNCH SERVED Saturday 11am to 2pm Sunday 9am to 2pm
r XXX MVDLZCSFXHSJMMF DPN +PIOTPO %SJWF r .JTTJPO ,4
KC 201 2
James Pimm was a Jeffersonian-coifed Englishman of the early 1800s who liked to improve on the already good. His fi rst eponymous liqueur, or "fruit cup," was the No. 1 — a gin-based concoction tasting of citrus and lowdown, funky herbs — that Pimm served to patrons of his London oyster bar to aid their digestion (blef). What happened to Pimm's 2-6, each based on a different liquor — scotch or vodka or maybe rum, with weird shit thrown in — is lost to the annals of alcoholic history. But we know that the Pimm's No. 1 is alive and well and awaiting your sweet little face in Westport. The secret to Westport CafÊ's version of the classic Pimm's — served by the cost-effective, easily drained $24 pitcher — is its princely combination of fresh mint and ginger simple syrup. The ingredients slide into bed with Pimm's original freak recipe like courtesans into Ben Franklin's boom-boom room.
BEST LOCAL WINE Aphrodite by Somerset Ridge 29725 Somerset Road, Somerset, Kansas somersetridge.com
This summer, a surprisingly divine wine came from grapes grown on stony limestone hills south of the metro, in way-west-of-Europe Miami County. Aphrodite, the dry rosĂŠ from the Somerset Ridge Vineyard & Winery, offered an elegant balance of acidity and sweetness, with a tart nose and a gentle, summerpears-and-melons finish. No, ma’am, this wasn’t your typical pink wine. Our dude friends called it “a cross between pinot noir and a savignon blanc.â€? Our lady friends said something like, and we’re paraphrasing, “This makes us feel like
a goddess on our own deck or porch.� At $13 a bottle, Aphrodite was probably something between those descriptions, but we know homegrown luxury when we taste it, and we’ll remember this stuff all winter.
BEST SHOPAHOLIC DRINKING The Garment District 1350 Main | 816-221-4387 | garmentdistrictkc.com
Having a few happy-hour gin and tonics before you further reward yourself at T.J. Maxx? That’s OK, but sometimes you deserve better. Go downtown. Have a martini. Shop. At the same time! With its smart list of fashion-themed martinis and its where’d-she-get-that wares (seven local and two regional designers rep here), the airy, modern Garment District is where we go when we’ve had enough of picked-over sale bins. The Power & Light District space expanded this year, allowing us plenty of personal space to peruse, say, the mulberries and chartreuses of the fall collection — and plenty of elbow room to throw back that fruity Alexander McQueen martini (Three Olives Bubble, Chambord). We admit that we didn’t have extra scarf money lying around the last time we were here, but we didn’t go away with nothing. The bartender’s tip that day was valuable and good for both sexes: It’s time to ditch that bling.
BEST HAPPY HOUR ZĂłcalo 620 West 48th Street | 816-756-5555 | zocalokc.com
When we leave the office, we desperately need sanctuary. By “sanctuary,â€? we mean a pretty place where anonymity is a premium, the tequila flows at a low price and patio seating is an option. ZĂłcalo on the Plaza buzzes hard on weekdays between 3 and 7 p.m., but you’d hardly notice. The waitstaff and bartenders keep the margaritas and Mexican drafts coming at a steady pace. The mini tacos are delivered hot and spicy. And the trendy folks? They
LAUREN PHILIPS
Zócalo’s margaritas — one isn’t enough.
60
THE PITCH
THE PITCH
BEST OF KANSAS CITY 2012
M O N T H X X–X X , 2 0 0 X
pitch.com
pitch.com