For Memorial Day, Where to Get Great Cocktails in Flyover Country: The Daily Details: Blog : Details

New Features

For Memorial Day, Where to Get Great Cocktails in Flyover Country

Headed to the vast hinterlands of America's interior this Memorial Day weekend? Well don't think for a minute that your drinking options are limited to Bud, Schlitz, and Wild Turkey on ice. It may have taken a while, but America's cocktail renaissance has spread beyond the capitals of hipness to the heartland's second-tier cities, where you can now find oversize ice cubes, artisanal spirits, arsenals of bitters, and barkeeps who know how to use them. Click below for a slideshow of our favorite places to get cocktails in flyover country.

Cleveland
Speakeasy, www.speakeasy216.com
Signature Drink: Parisian Monk, a pungent concoction of gin, Chartreuse, Lillet, and herb syrup.
Houston
Anvil Bar & Refuge, www.anvilhouston.com
Signature Drink: Seoul Train, a Franco-Nordic-Asian mash-up of aquavit, Dubonnet, orange bitters, sour tincture, and sujeonggwa, Korean persimmon liqueur.
Kansas City, Missouri
R Bar, www.rbarkc.com
Signature Drink: Perfect Cocktail, a simple, thoughtfully crafted mix of barrel-aged Ransom Old Tom gin, sweet and dry Dolin vermouths, and rhubarb bitters.
Madison, Wisconsin
Merchant, www.merchantmadison.com
Signature Drink: High Plains Drifter, an assertive combination of rye, ginger syrup, lemon juice, and bitters, made frothy with an egg white.
Minneapolis
Bradstreet Crafthouse Restaurant, www.bradstreetcrafthouse.com
Signature Drink: Old Nick Manhattan, a strapping revision of the classic, tricked out with bourbon, Punt e Mes, Lillet, and kÿmmel, a caraway liqueur from Holland.
Omaha
Side Door Lounge, 402-504-3444
Signature Drink: Aviation, an oft-overlooked old-school cocktail done right with gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and Crÿme de Violette.
St. Louis
Taste, www.nichestlouis.com
Signature Drink: Duck and Cover, a study in boozy maximalism that combines reposado tequila, mezcal, vermouth, orange juice, and duck-fat-infused Grand Marnier
Tucson
Scott & Co., www.scottandcotucson.com
Signature Drink: Barrel-Aged Seelbach Cocktail, a cask-mellowed spin on the classic Kentucky cocktail that combines bourbon, triple sec, bitters, and sparkling wine.
Cleveland
Velvet Tango Room, www.www.velvettangoroom.com
Signature Drink: Lime Fizz, a rediscovered classic, this take on the frothy mix of gin, cream, seltzer, and egg whites gets its distinctive bite from a few drops of orange flower water.
Denver
Green Russell, www.greenrussell.com
Signature Drink: Jalisco Sour, blanco tequila, locally produced peach whiskey, and pepper make this take on the margarita subtle yet strong.