I love me a hotel bar. Something about the charging of a drink to your room gives me a charge. And the Inn at the Mission in San Juan Capistrano has a really nice one. This year there was even nightly free hot cocoa with marshmallows.
This year my goal was to splurge on a smoked cocktail….
I will circle back to it at the end but first I had to try their signature Mediterranean Old Fashioned with Old Forester bourbon and a sprig of burnt rosemary for a touch extra. I could order these by the case. That initial whiff of flame and herbs is great.
I also partook of two selections from their Heritage Classics section of the cocktail menu and I will start with what could be a new favorite drink for me, The Aviation (not the Deadpool gin) with a combination of gin, maraschino liquor and creme de violette. Soft and floral and each flavor component got a turn but none wore out their welcome. I sipped from coupe next to a Christmas tree while watching guests check in.
The other classic was my first ever Brooklyn which is rye whiskey, maraschino liquor and dry vermouth. It was just fine but far too close to a Manhattan in my limited cocktail experience book.
As promised, the smoke. I went the Gin route. The presentation was great. Smoke piped into an empty tequila bottle, then the drink was mixed separately and then added into the smoke. Wait for the two to meld, then poured. Mine tasted of, you guessed it, smoke. Nothing but smoke. I smelled smoke all night, it was on my pillow in the morning. Yikes. The rye drink was better but still the balance was tilted to the smoke.
Despite that, I was glad to have tried it because now I know a bit more about my tastes and what will be more successful choices in the future.