28 December 2023
Our Twin Cities culinary artisans don’t just reside in the kitchen — there are lots of great drink-makers here as well.
Here are our six favorite drinks from 2023. Cheers!
RELATED: Our 12 favorite dishes from local restaurants in 2023
Cranberry negroni at Saint Dinette
Tart cranberries work really well with the classic negroni flavors here — and the holiday ingredient makes your drink just a little bit festive to boot. We love that it’s a little lighter and less astringent than a regular negroni, too. It’s just the thing to warm you up after the many outdoor events taking place in St. Paul this winter.
The cranberry Negroni at Saint Dinette in St. Paul’s Lowertown. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
Saint Dinette: 261 E. Fifth St., St. Paul; 651-800-1415; saintdinette.com
— J.F.
Gimiwan at Makwa Coffee
Who said our favorite drinks need to be from a bar? Makwa Coffee in Roseville, owned by State Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn, has quickly become an East Metro hotspot for Native food and arts. (Becker-Finn herself grew up on the Leech Lake Reservation.)
Their signature drink is the ziigwan, a sugar maple cold brew, which is great — but the gimiwan won me over. It’s an ube and (non-alcoholic) amaretto latte: Sweet, nutty, purple and gold. Not unlike us Minnesotans, actually.
The gimiwan latte contains ube and non-alcoholic amaretto, as shown on Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, at Makwa Coffee in Roseville. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)
Makwa Coffee: 2805 Hamline Ave. N., Roseville; 651-300-7946; Makwacoffee.com
— J.K.
Burnt Toast at King Coil Spirits
This bordering-on-savory bourbon concoction, which consists of toasted-sesame oil-washed bourbon, amaro and coffee bitters, hits all the right cold-weather notes: Nutty, rich, slightly herbaceous and a little sweet. I love that this new Vandalia Tower distillery is making all their own liqueurs, bitters and spirits so every sip is truly from scratch.
The Burnt Toast cocktail at King Coil Spirits in St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
King Coil Spirits: 550 Vandalia St., Suite 140; St. Paul; 651-300-9550; kingcoilspirits.com
— J.F.
Mineral cocktail (full proof) at Herbst
Almost six months after my first sip of this cocktail, I’m still thinking about it. My love for a crisp, clean martini cannot be overstated. This drink, enhanced by jasmine and gentian, is just different enough from the classic to make it special, but still retains its essential martini-ness. I had one on my second visit here, too, and will probably order it every time, as long as it’s on the menu.
The (full-proof) Mineral cocktail from Herbst Eatery and Farm Stand in St. Paul’s St. Anthony neighborhood. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)
As with all the cocktails at Herbst, there’s a low-proof option, which is a little sweeter and a little less like a martini, but also a better idea than a second martini, especially for lightweights like me.
Herbst: 779 Raymond Ave., St. Paul; 651-340-0254; herbstsaintpaul.com
— J.F.
A La Louisiane at Bar Cart
The drink menu at Bar Cart is a book unto itself, with three full pages of cocktail listings. Look through them all, of course — and order them all, too — but return to the first page for Bar Cart’s spin on the underrated classic. It’s got rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, a few dashes of absinthe and Peychaud’s bitters, and flamed green chartreuse. To put it reductively, it’s sort of like a better Manhattan. But really, it’s dark and classy and meticulous, like the restaurant itself.
Bar+Cart Restaurant and Lounge: 1571 Grand Ave; 952-600-7920; barcartlounge.com
— J.K.
Oztotl at Mito
The food at Mito, a theatrical new Latin restaurant in Roseville, was disappointing and overpriced — but hey, the drinks are great. Each is served in an over-the-top way: One in a tooth-shaped cup. Another, in an orb held by a spaceman. My favorite, the Oztotl, arrives atop a mysterious cave overflowing with dry ice smoke. The drink itself — rum, tequila, passion fruit, cilantro, turmeric, lemon — is strong and well-balanced; sweet but complex. Come for the drinks, stay for the drinks.
The Oztotl cocktail, with mezcal, rum and passion fruit, is served atop a smoky cavern at Mito in Roseville on June 18, 2023. Everything on the menu is served in larger-than-life ways at the new Latin fusion restaurant, including quirky specialty drinks. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)
Mito Latin Cuisine: 2801 Snelling Ave., Roseville; 651-330-8677; mitolatincuisine.com
— J.K.
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