Cocktails in the Bluff City

The Cocktail Culture movement has not passed over Memphis. In fact, we have a wealth of choices at our fingertips.

The best French 75 in town is at Restaurant Iris. It's a perfect summertime,well actually anytime, libation.

Majestic Grille has a very cool martini, the Strawberry-Basil. It's sweet & spicy in an herbaceous way.

Thomas, at Bari Ristorante e Enoteca, has a list of drinks in his repertoire & he crafts each one expertly.

Last night I had one of the most unexpected cocktail experiences in Memphis. I met my good friends Johanna & Alison up at Sweetgrass for a drink after I led a tasting at the Brooks Museum. We grabbed a few stools at the small bar & chatted with the bartender. I asked if he had a cocktail list & he said "no...not yet anyway." I was curious because that obviously meant that one would be coming soon. Due to my indecisiveness I asked him if he could just make me something with gin. He proceeded to whip up a cocktail that was absolutely delicious. "It's called the significant other", he said. Whatever it was tasted superb & perfectly balanced. After finishing that cocktail I asked him if he could make me something else, anything he wished. The second cocktail was just as good as the first & completely different. This guy wasn't a bartender, he was a mixologist. I'll be back, hopefully there will be a barstool available.