C o c k ta i l o f t h e W e e k
Russian passion, via The emerald isle Gourmet food & Fine Italian wines Georgetown’s Little Corner of Italy
By Miss Dixie
D i n n er o rd ers a n d ca teri n g P h o n e : 202. 965. 1222 g r i f f i n ma r ke t @ ya h o o . co m 1425 28t h S t N W
Valentine’s Day A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
We will be featuring 2 distinctive 4 course menus including wine. Choose from:
a contemporary Thai experience or
a sushi inspired menu
$25.00 PER PERSON 3251 Prospect St., NW Washington, DC 20007
202-337-2424
www.bangkokbistrodc.com 24 January 27, 2010 gmg, Inc.
W a sh i n g t o n D C , 20007
B
efore my recent journey to Ireland, I imaged the Dublin nightlife to be limited to traditional pubs. Friendly places where Guinness flowed like water and talkative locals traded stories while Gaelic music reeled in the background. I pictured a place like this on every corner. After all, in “Ulysses,” James Joyce referred to the puzzle of trying to cross Dublin without passing a pub, preferring to stop and sample a few instead. While the pubs and Guinness lived up to my expectations, I also found another side of Dublin, sleek and modern, with hip clubs and trendy cocktail bars. Perhaps the change in Dublin sparked when they gave birth to U2, the biggest band in the world. It continued with the European money that flowed in throughout the 1990s and 2000s. My first glimpse of “new Dublin” came from my hotel in the city’s Docklands area. This area has transformed into an affluent neighborhood of modern office buildings and pricey riverside apartments, also housing U2’s recording studios. Another makeover, courtesy of U2, is the refurbishment of the Clarence Hotel, which was built in 1852. Purchased by U2’s Bono and the Edge in 1992, the structure was renovated into a luxury hotel. It re-opened in 1996 and has been called a symbol and catalyst of the city’s economic and cultural renaissance. With its celebrity backing, it’s no surprise that the hotel’s Octagon Bar is one of the hottest venues in Europe. According to head barman Szabi Sandor, the eight-sided bar is popular with hotel guests and Dubliners alike. While I expected a bar that was owned by rock stars to be flashy and glittery, the Octagon bar was elegant and refined. The bar’s shape was inspired by an antique clock that was restored during the hotel’s modernization. A recessed stained glass ceiling hovers over the center-staged bar. While the bar offers Guinness on tap, the true highlight is the extensive menu of cocktails which features seasonal offerings and innovative twists on classic drinks. Sandor, the brainchild behind the impres-
sive drink list, was recently awarded first place in the National Cocktail Championships 2009 for his Russian Passion cocktail, an innovative concoction of Smirnoff vodka, melon liqueur, pear juice, grapefruit and lychee syrup, lime juice and passion fruit puree. The name, according to Sandor, comes from Russian for the vodka and passion for the fruit. The Russian Passion is served in a tall glass over crushed ice and garnished with a hand cut flower made from a passion fruit. The drink was fruity but not overly sweet. Its fresh and tropical flavors seemed at odds with the cold damp climate of Ireland, while it sophisticated fusion fit right in at the stately surroundings Although he has worked three years at the Clarence Hotel, Sandor hails from Budapest were he first honed his craft. He tells me that while pints are still the norm in countryside, edgy new cocktail bars keep opening up in modern-day Dublin. The hotel’s website describes the bar as a place Bono and The Edge would choose to drink while in Dublin. When I asked Sandor about their whereabouts, he whispers that information about the owners is off limits. When I ask which cocktail on the menu is Bono’s favorite, he reluctantly says that when Bono is at the bar he drinks Guinness “like a true Irishman.” Russian vodka can be purchased at Dixie Liquor (3429 M St.) in Georgetown. For more information about the Clarence Hotel visit www.theclarence.ie.
The Russian Passion 1 1/2 ounces Smirnoff vodka 1/2 ounce Midori melon liqueur 1/4 ounce lychee and pink grapefruit syrup 1/4 ounce passion fruit puree 3/4 ounce freshly pressed apple juice 1/4 ounce fresh lime juice Shake ingredients and strain into a tall glass. Serve over crushed ice and garnish with fresh passion fruit and mint leaf.