Botanically based cocktails are just right for the season!
Cocktails aren’t only about taste; they’re about the experience. Early summer in Atlanta bursts with showy blooms, and the air is fragrant with their scent. It’s the season of warm breezes and sunshine. Places blurring the lines between dining and nature create an immersive experience and cocktails to match.
Sit on the extensive patio of Chamblee’s Oaxaca surrounded by green foliage, woven and wicker seating, and strings of twinkling garden lights. Tropical flavors and beauty are also on the menu of Mexican food and cocktails. Guacamole comes adorned with a rainbow of edible flowers. The Rising Sun cocktail mixes together tequila, cucumber juice, lime and pineapple juice, a refreshing and cool experience with a bit of spice from a spicy-salty Tajin rim. Sandy Springs’ Ray’s on the River shakes up a verdant shade of green from Strawberry Lemongrass Grey Goose Vodka, bright yuzu liqueur, fresh lemon and aromatic basil in a drink called Destination Wedding. It’s meant to capture the magic of those unforgettable summer nuptials, but it creates its own magic when sipped near the restaurant’s riverside gardens.
The Blooming Pig pop-up concept at The Blind Pig Parlour Bar is an explosion of colorful blooms taken to a beautiful extreme. The Garden Party martini encapsulates the bright indoor world in a glass. The pretty coupe holds vodka, elderflower liqueur, fresh cucumber juice and a dash of simple syrup for nectar-like sweetness. A ribbon of cucumber and a flower top off the beauty. The Blooming Beauty cocktail is a more tropical experience with tequila, triple sec, coconut, passionfruit, lime and pineapple.
Inside the Buckhead greenhouse of The Garden Room, you might expect butterflies or tropical birds to land on you in the lush, posey filled expanse. Greenery, flowers and whimsical art hides the city behind its fantastical decor. Drinks match the ornamentation, with a matching beverage for all palates. The Not So French 76 comprises Tito’s Vodka, purple hued crème de violette, puriri flower and lemon juice. Sparkling wine tops the aromatic champagne glass with bubbles. The Hot Mess is as bright as the summer sun and brings the heat with Avion Reposado Tequila, Cointreau, Ancho Reyes Liqueur, peach and lime juice.
Atlanta’s indoor oases provide a garden-like atmosphere even on rainy days. The Painted Pickle is more than indoor pickleball courts. It’s a playful escape with a stellar cocktail program. There aren’t birds flitting about, but you can order a Hummingbird. Sweet and citrusy, Crème de Flora Liqueur is made with a bouquet of flowers such as marigolds, elderflower and chamomile, and in a Collins glass it mingles with vodka, lime, lemony oleo saccharum (a sugar-oil mix) and mint. Bubbles from soda water tickle your nose with floral aromatics.
For more of an urban oasis vibe, head for the patio of Chamblee’s Southbound. It has less garden greenery, but you can guarantee a train rolling by, as well as a stream of dog walkers strolling by to make for excellent animal watching. Bartender Caleb Wikle knows how to brighten brown liquor classics to put a fresh, garden-gazing approach for those who like something bolder. His French Dispatch shakes Sazerac Rye with grapefruit juice, the natural sweetness of honey and lemon juice. Herbsaint and bitters balance and leave an anise-like perfume over the glass.
OAXACA
770.450.4805
oaxacaatl.com
@oaxacaatl
PAINTED PICKLE
404.253.1115
paintedpickle.com
@paintedpickleatl
RAY’S ON THE RIVER
770.955.1187
raysontheriver.com
@raysrestaurants
THE GARDEN ROOM
404.600.6471
thegardenroomatlanta.com
@gardenroomatlanta
THE BLOOMING PIG
678.705.7697
theblindpigparlourbar.com
@blindpigparlourbar
SOUTHBOUND
678.580.5579
southboundatl.com
@southboundatlanta
