April’s Where to Drink Now

Spring has sprung in the drinks world, with a new crop of cocktail spots popping up across the country. Here are five places we’re especially excited about at the moment.

Edgar’s CantinaThis Safeco Field cantina and bar opened just in time for the first pitch of the Seattle Mariner’s new season. Named after Mariner’s Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez, Seattle bar star Anu Apte (owner of Rob Roy) stepped up to the beverage program plate, creating game-day refreshers like a reworked Paloma, a pineapple- and cayenne-spiked Michelada, and the .312 Campari cocktail (named after Martinez’s batting average, of course). Safeco Field, 1250 First Ave., Seattle // mariners.com

.312 Cocktail
1 oz. reposado tequila (Apte uses El Zacatecano)
1 oz. Campari
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
Club soda

Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: double rocks
Garnish: lime wheel

Combine all ingredients, except club soda, and shake with ice. Strain into an ice-filled glass, top with soda and garnish.

Anu Apte for Edgar’s Cantina at Safeco Field, Seattle

Society Cleveland
Drinking in the Midwest gets more interesting by the day, and just last week Society Cleveland opened its basement doors offering a menu imbued with close to 50 classic cocktails, ranging from the Blinker and Brandy Crusta to the Ramos Gin Fizz and the Singapore Sling. 2063 E. Forth St., Cleveland, Ohio // 216-781-9050 // societycleveland.com

Plan B
No, you didn’t just walk into a modern art museum, but Plan B’s whimsical design and decor (think a “forest” of cut olive branches, horsehide-upholstered banquettes, and jarred octopi specimens) may have you feeling like you’re somewhere other than a Nolita tapas bar. The food and drink menus (with cocktails designed by co-Imbibe 75 Drinks Ambassador of the Year Ivy Mix) are distinctively northern Spain-inspired with an adventurous edge—think chile-spiced shrimp heads and python sausage and cocktails like the Sangre Mixto with Spanish wine and brandy, Chartreuse, citrus and soda. 244 Mulberry St., New York City // 212-775-0111 // planbtapas.com

Capt. Foxheart’s Bad News Bar & Spirits Lodge
Houston is a hotbed for great drinks these days (check out our March/April Texas Issue for more proof), and last week it got even better with the opening of Anvil alum Justin Burrows’ downtown cocktail den. With a dark-wooded, 25-stool bar that nearly runs the length of the joint, chandeliers, plush furniture and the requisite taxidermy, the aesthetic is part Victorian cocktail parlor and part old western saloon. “We’re trying to give great service and make great drinks,” says Burrows, “and avoid the pretense people perceive at a lot of cocktail bars.” Belly up for one of Borrows’ favorites, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which combines an amaro with rum, pineapple and lime juice and two types of syrups, or try one of our favorites, the Soanso Collins. 308 Main St., Houston // twitter.com/badnewsbar

The Soanso Collins

Bourbon, citrus and ginger beer—summertime is calling!

2 oz. bourbon

3/4 oz. fresh lemon
 juice
3/4 oz. turbinado syrup
 (1:1)
1/4 oz. Angostura
 bitters
2 oz. ginger beer
Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: Collins
Garnish: lemon wheel

Combine all ingredients, except ginger beer, and shake with ice. Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass, top with ginger beer and garnish.

Justin Burrows, Capt. Foxheart’s Bad News Bar & Spirits Lodge, Houston

Paper Plane
We’ve been eagerly anticipating the opening of this Georgia bar and resto for what feels like months now, but as of last week, the wait is over. Cozied into a space behind Victory Sandwich Bar’s new Decatur location, this retro diner-esque cocktail den features meaty bites, like barbequed quail, smoked chicken and braised shortribs, and a Paul Calvert-designed drinks menu that includes the cachaça- and Curaçao-rich Cocktail 44 and the peppermint- and cacao-infused Trouble in Paradise. 340 Church St., Decatur, Georgia //vicsandwich.com

Cocktail 44
Cachaça and Curaçao combine in heady sipper from Paul Calvert. 
1 1/2 oz. gold cachaça (Calvert uses Novo Fogo)
1/2 oz. dry Curaçao (Calvert uses Pierre Ferrand)
1/2 oz. Punt e Mes
1/2 oz. Aperol
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 barspoon grenadine 
Tools: mixing glass, barspoon, strainer
Glass: coupe

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass, stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.

Paul Calvert, Paper Plane, Decatur, Georgia