Welcome back to another installment of boozings, where we try all of Philly’s Top 15 Drinks! Next up we go to Oyster House, for their famous / infamous oyster house punch. Unfortunately for us, this list came out right after the famed summer version of the oyster house punch was taken off the menu. So we were forced to go for the Mom’s  Ruin recipe. This version of the oyster house punch is made with gin, cinnamon/chai tea-infused sweet vermouth, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, and topped with champagne, and served in canning jar mugs.

I can describe this drink in four simple words. “It tastes like Fall”. I couldn’t be more succinct. The drink is spicy and cinnamony, yet slightly fruity, with of course, a boozy kick. I quite enjoyed this. If you like the spices that are typically associated with the fall and colder weather, then you will too. It’s sort of like mulled wine, but cold, and made with citrusy punch. And it’s deceptively strong. I wish I could try the summer version though, as that one sounds better to me. As soon as it’s back on the menu, I’ll try it and let you know!

Ok, 2 down, only 13 more to go!

Before watching the uber-adorable Chris Garneau’s show at the FU chapel, we stopped by Rum Bar for food and drink. When we got there, there was nobody eating there at all. But we were told all the tables were reserved. Nerds! Who knew you needed a reservation to eat here? So I had to do the old hover and stalk at the bar to see if people were leaving. Once I spotted my victims, all I had to do was wait. Then we snagged a couple of primo spots at the beautiful bar. They have a huge drink menu here, and a small food menu. As you might have guessed, the rum offerings here are ridiculous. This particular drink is a type of coquito. What’s a coquito? Why it’s a type of rum eggnog. And what does it taste like? It tastes like rice pudding, without the rice, that you drink! In other words, it was shockingly delicious. Delicious and boozy. A perfect combination. It’s like a dessert you can drink.

M’s caribbean paella with shrimp, calamari, chicken, chorizo, peppers, and onions in a jamaican curry broth. The flavoring was very mild curry, not strong at all. Perhaps it was a bit too mild. Like they were trying, but didn’t quite make it. C’mon Rum Bar! Go all the way! It was good paella, but it definitely has potential to be great! Those are some giant ass shrimp.

Speaking of giant ass seafood, I got the pan seared scallops. 3 ginormous scallops with vinaigrette salad. The scallops were delicious and filling. The salad was fine, nothing exciting. I think it would have been better if they went a bit further with the caribbean flavorings. Maybe a mango salsa? Papaya? A citrus vinaigrette? Just something a little more! All entrees are served with fried plantains, chili cornbread, and calypso squash au gratin. The plantains were fine, nothing exciting here. Some pieces were more sweet than others. I loved the little teeny chili cornbreads!  They even had pieces of whole little corn in them. The squash au gratin thing… I did not care for at all. It kind of looks like a little tiny lasagna made with thin slices of squash and phyllo dough. But it tastes weird. And by weird I mean kind of gross.

But overall, a great meal. We were both surprised! These entrees are a bit pricey, but we used a gift certificate so it ended up being dirt cheap. And for dirt cheap, this meal was was a totally tasty deal! I think they have super good deals on drink and food on wednesday nights. I’m going to have to make it out there one of these wednesday nights!

Welcome to the inaugural post in my brand new series called boozings. What is boozings? It’s simple. The folks at Philadelphia Weekly recently posted their list of Philly’s Top 15 Drinks. So I’ve decided to try them all. No, not all on one night! I have no interest in alcohol poisoning. But I will try them all, and write about it right here, once a week, as part of this new 15-post series – boozings. And as their list is in no particular order of preference, my posts won’t be either. Well, my posts will simply be in the order in which I try them.

First up was Parc, the swanky little french style bistro in Rittenhouse Square. And serendipitously enough, the chosen drink at Parc was the sidecar, one of my favorite cocktails, ever. Their version of the sidecar is the Calvados Sidecar. It is made with Calvados brandy (apple brandy, and hence the name), Cointreau (orange liqueur), lemon juice, and an apple slice, served in a half sugar rimmed martini glass.

Oh boy oh boy. This drink is boozy. As in all I taste is booze. Whoo! I taste no juice at all, just lots and lots of alcohol. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I can see how if I had two of these, it would knock me on my boozed out ass. It’s a bit too strong for me, as far as flavor goes. Without a hint of anything other than straight up liquor, I found it a bit hard to truly enjoy. I mean I liked it, and I felt great while I drank it, but it was a bit rough for me. And the apple, if you choose to eat it, is just as boozy. While it was an enjoyable drink, I think I still prefer my sidecars from the Sidecar. Parc is a bit of an older crowd, perhaps a bit on the more sophisticated side. A button-down shirt and slacks kind of place, which isn’t particularly my scene, not that I have one, but I’m more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl.

Ok, 1 down, only 14 more to go!