A night of cocktails with Our Libatious Nature

On a hot summers night I met up with friends, including Nicky & Katruska of Our Libatious Nature to celebrate a friend with hand crafted cocktails from some of Atlanta's finest spots. First stop, The Iberian Pig

The Iberian Old-Fashioned

Bacon-infused rye whiskey,brown sugar, molasses, Angostura bitters, Peychaud's bitters, orange and lemon twists

I loved the big hunk of ice and the smokiness of the rye. We ordered a plate of Pinchos de Cerdo - Slow roasted pork tenderloin pate, pistachio, golden raisins, goat cheese, roasted tomato, lavender honey, served on toasted bread to nibble on.



The New York Robusto Manhattan

This is way beyond your average Manhattan. This off menu cocktail is perhaps my second favorite cocktail I have ever had. Their secret is a combination of two house made bourbons: a Robusto cigar infused bourbon and a smoke shop bourbon with citrus and spices. The bourbons are mixed with vermouth, Angustura bitters and lavender honey on the rim of the glass. Them stem of my glass was wrapped with strips of cigar leaf, a simple addition that added so much to the experience, as you could smell the aroma with each sip. With this we enjoyed bacon wrapped dates stuffed with Manchego cheese and walnuts...and then we ordered another plate of them.

Next Stop: Leon's Full Service



Seelbach and Ramos gin fizz

A night at Leon's Full Service with Miles Macquarrie crafting behind the bar can be magical. It is fun (when it is not busy) to ask him to create something for you off the menu. On this evening the place was packed so I ordered the special on the board, The Seelbach. It was a wise choice. The bourbon, contreau, bitters and champagne topper was a mixture my palate had never tasted. This is the best part of cocktails, the unexpected delight of flavors bouncing off one another. We ordered (of course) bacon in a glass and a bucket of fries with curry dipping sauce. These are musts in my mind when visiting Leon's. In front of my drink is a friend's Ramos gin fizz. If you ever want to hear the history of this drink visit Tom at Prohibition. He makes a great one and as he does you will get a lively told history lesson.

The Pineapple Express

Last stop, Top Flr. We had a cozy booth across from the bar so we could watch Brian Stanger in action. I would love to have organized recall of what we ordered but this was our last stop of many. I remember someone had a Strange Horse (ahem @MrAtlanta) and someone had a Half Shell that was similar to a Pimm's cup. I ordered jokingly the cocktail Brian made for Attack of the Killer Tomato fest. Ask and you shall receive because there it is in all its loveliness, The Pineapple Express. It was gone very quickly as was the Tuna Tartar on Sardinian Flat Bread with Thai Miso Pesto, Avocado, and Lime Aioli. I wish Top Flr was open for lunch because I crave this on a daily basis now.

Visit the blog Our Libations Nature if you enjoy a good cocktail or the history behind their creation. It's a heck of a blog. I am hoping to bring Nicky and Katruska to the Boom Boom Shaboom Glitter Room Speakeasy someday to show off their mixology skills.