No meal is complete without a refreshing drink, and we had plenty this year. We tried a beer with history, a vermouth cocktail served in an IV bag, and a seasonal brew. These were the drinks we—dining critic Brian Reinhart and online dining editor Nataly Keomoungkhoun—savored the most.
A Polish-style lager with family history. Jerzy, the lager that Celestial Beerworks makes with Polish hops, is named for Jerzy “Jerry” Rawicki, grandfather to two of Celestial’s founders. Rawicki was a Holocaust survivor, optician, and writer who died this year at age 94, just before Celestial began brewing the beer in his honor. It’s not always available—the Polish ingredients have to be flown in—but if you see it, snap it up. It has a crisp, clean bite, and the QR codes on the cans link to a video of Rawicki revisiting the Warsaw Ghetto and describing his experiences there. – Brian Reinhart
A gin and tonic at Tatsu Dallas. After I finished a glass of the ramato orange wine at Tatsu Dallas at the recommendation of their beverage director Janice Brown, I turned to Brown and asked for her thoughts on a cocktail. She said their Continental Gin and Tonic was one of her favorites, and it was popular among other customers. The drink is refreshing and zesty, just like a gin and tonic ought to be.– Nataly Keomoungkhoun
The Amaro Tranfusion at The Branca Room. Yes, it’s a $24 cocktail, but it will serve you more than one delicious glass of the housemade vermouth made by The Branca Room owner James Slater. The beverage is especially fun to drink: it comes loaded in an IV bag and suspended above a cocktail glass with one giant ice cube. To get the drink flowing, release the IV and it’ll drip straight into the glass.– N.K.
The Sofisticado cocktail at Ayahuasca Cantina. Do you like bitter cocktails? No, but do you really like bitter cocktails? We’re not talking about cocktails that have one bitter ingredient balanced out by a bunch of sweet things. We’re not talking about how sours don’t actually taste sour. We’re talking about a cocktail that’s all booze and all bitter. If that sounds gross, skip to the next paragraph. If that sounds amazing, head to Ayahuasca and order the Sofisticado, a mix of sotol and three different aperitifs. The quinine, bitter root, and sotol flavors combine for an electric, exciting sip. – B.R.
Every cocktail we try from Jettison. Sorry if that’s not specific enough, but it’s true. The Tom Kha Gai Guys is the one I always tell friends about, but next time I’m going to try the Great Pretender (with scotch, bitter aperitif, and sesame oil). – B.R.
The Perfect Latte at La La Land Kind Cafe. I’ll let you in on a guilty pleasure of mine: I don’t often drink coffee that isn’t black, but when I do want cream and sugar, I’ll get the Perfect Latte from La La Land. If you get it, prepare to be faced with a drink that will wake you up and satisfy a sweet tooth. I almost always get it hot and with oat milk.– N.K.
A Christmas beer from Pegasus City. This brewery’s holiday saison isn’t as over-the-top holiday-themed as most. It’s not, for example, overloaded with winter spices or dark, roasty-toasty malts. It’s just a classic French saison with a little bit of extra edge. There are spices present—you might pick up a little bit of ginger—but they’re subtle and well-balanced into the beer. It’s a lovely pint and a reason to look forward to cold weather every year. – B.R.
A Vienna lager from Dallas’ newest brewery. Autonomous Society is a little brewpub in the Cedars that serves beers from many of our local favorites, in addition to brewing its own. Dean Weaver is releasing his own concoctions one-by-one, and I’m looking forward to trying the next ones, because his Akard Street Lager was one of the most perfectly balanced, assertive, flavorful takes on Vienna style this city has seen in a long time. It was “beer-flavored beer,” but with every component dialed up to the max. Thirst-quenching and exciting at the same time. What’s next? – B.R.
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Brian Reinhart
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