I love taking a seat at Lark on the Park’s bar with the glittering lights of Klyde Warren Park behind me and before me the backbar with its wall of taps, lit acqua like a pool at night. They dispense a large selection on tap, from kombucha to cold brew to cocktails (part of the popular trend), including a rotating punch.
Currently, they have the wonderful Crimson & Clove on tap, with rum, apple cider, cranberry, ginger, and allspice. It’s a stellar seasonal drink, cozy with apple cider and spice, but held in line, not too sweet.
From there, you can branch out. The cocktail menu is now deeply into its fall and winter wear, all pomegranate and grapefruit-cinnamon reductions and cinnamon- and arbol chile-infused Bourbon. I like the Peruvian Fall, their iconoclastic take on a pisco sour with the familiar lemon juice and bitters, then the rounding flavor of guava paste and spiced root beer syrup that lingers on the tip of the tongue. Or try the Can You Fig It with port, fig jam, lemon, and tonic water, garnished with a dried fig like a small bar snack.
Then wander through the park, a wonderland of holiday baubles and festive lights.
