‘Tis the season to enjoy hand-crafted cocktails in Nashville with the flavors of the holidays!
Nashville’s happening cocktail scene celebrates the holidays with the flavors of the season. Pinewood Social is Nashville’s newest place for social gatherings. This unique and roomy state-of-the-art bar features classic cocktails by the glass or “punch” in pitchers to share. Matt Tocco, Beverage Director of Pinewood Social’s bar program, shakes up a couple of cocktails worthy of toasting to the holidays!
The Humble Magnificent is brimming with big refreshing flavors of tart lemon, Saigon Cinnamon, fresh orange, apple brandy and Pimms #1 with a refreshing hint of mint. The flavor and aroma of red hots from the cinnamon and apple brandy brought back memories of cinnamon & apple-scented Christmas ornaments we used to make when we where kids!
Speaking of punch, did you know Pinewood Social features several large format Punches by the pitcher to share with your friends? That’s right! At least 4 large format cocktails will come to your table in a pitcher for everyone’s enjoyment. The Achilles and the Tortoise Cocktail (with the lemon zest) is a large format drink but Matt scaled it down for us to enjoy! Although the name does not sound Christmasy, the combination of bourbon, pear brandy, Yellow Chartreuse and cider was extremely refreshing and would be perfect for a celebration with your crowd of friends or after a big day of Christmas shopping.
The Southern Steak and Oyster Restaurant near downtown Nashville has a very welcoming ambiance and the bar is a great place to meet up with friends and enjoy a southern style hand-crafted cocktail. We discovered a seasonal cocktail that is perfect ushering in the fall all the way through the holiday season. The New Fashioned Cocktail, handcrafted by Chris, is ” a glass full of Christmas!” Bourbon, bitters and muddled apples are combined with a house-made winter-spiced sweet syrup. What came to mind with each sip was apple pie spices with a touch of chai tea aromas. This sweet cocktail was refreshing and would be pleasantly comforting on cold winter days. We really enjoyed this one!
Another Christmasy Cocktail we found at Silo’s Restaurant in Germantown. This rustic yet chic farm-to-fork restaurant has a really nice bar area and great for meeting up with friends and enjoying cocktails with their daily appetizer selections. The House Barrel-Aged Cocktail is a blend of Chattanooga Cask Whiskey , Chai Tea , Apple Brandy with a touch of lemon and pure cane sugar. This lip-smacking drink is barrel aged right there at the bar. With the first sip, we both said it was Christmas in a Glass! You could taste the exotic spices from the Chai Tea and the crisp apple brandy balanced with the caramel and vanilla flavors of the bourbon with just enough lemon for balance. The barrel-aging mellows this amazing elixir and is guaranteed to be unforgettable. Ask for Anthony or Robert, they will take care of you just right! Although it was the priciest at $15 a glass, it is well worth it! And, just like the holidays, this seasonal cocktail won’t be around for long …..just sayn!
Love this, Lisa. I want to drink them all. Call me when you can. I’ll be in Nashville today.