Photo courtesy of Pins Mechanical
From candy to cookies, aesthetically pleasing drinks throughout central Ohio hit the spot with quirky garnishes.
Old North Arcade, a Clintonville-area bar featuring classic arcade and video games, sweetens things up with its pop-culture themed cocktails featuring tasty treats.
The most memorable may be Hagrid’s Butterbeer. Inspired by a drink from the Harry Potter universe, this boozed-up butterscotch-flavored cocktail is topped with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and a soft chocolate chip cookie.
Evan Schieber, a bartender at Old North Arcade, says the cookie was the go-to garnish because it absorbs the drink’s flavor nicely while accurately representing the funkiness of the bar.
“So much of what we do is based on recognition,” Schieber says, pointing to neon signs and games within the bar. “With all the arcade games, you walk in, you hear them, you see them and it really hits all your senses; the garnishes are just an extension of that. We try to be fun and flashy without being obnoxious.”
Another example: the Nintendo-inspired Save the Princess, named after Super Mario Bros.’ beleaguered Princess Peach. The garnish of candy peach rings, Schieber says, balances well with the sugar rim and adds a tart, textual element costumers enjoy.
Understanding the cocktails themed names are not necessary for enjoying the drink, Schieber says, but it does allow an opportunity for costumers to know what Old North Arcade is all about.
Save the Princess
Photo by Lydia Freudenberg
Save the Princess
Ingredients
- 2 oz. orange-flavored vodka
- 1 oz. peach schnapps
- 1 oz. peach juice
- 1 oz. Sprite/7 Up/Sierra Mist
- 2 peach rings
- Splash banana liqueur
- Sugar
Instructions
Combine vodka, schnapps, peach juice and soda in a cocktail shaker, then add banana liqueur. Shake, then strain into a martini glass. Rim with sugar and add peach rings. Serve.
Hagrid’s Butterbeer
Photo by Lydia Freudenberg
Hagrid's Butterbeer
Ingredients
- 1 oz. spiced rum
- 1 oz. butterscotch schnapps
- Cream soda
- Whipped cream
- Cinnamon sugar
- 1 chewy chocolate chip cookie
Instructions
Combine rum and schnapps in a pint glass, and fill with cream soda. Add whipped cream and cinnamon sugar on top, then garnish with cookie and serve.
More Offbeat Garnishes
Standard Hall, Short North
House Bloody: bacon, smoked gouda, house-brined pickle and an olive
16-Bit Bar + Arcade, Downtown Columbus
Carrie Fisher: purple rock candy
The Pearl, Short North
Bourbon. Bacon. Beautiful: candied bacon
Lydia Freudenberg is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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