Home Speakeasy

Last night, we went with friends to check out The Trestle Inn, something we’ve been meaning to do since it re-opened recently. After hearing the magic words “whiskey,” “cocktails” and “cheap,” we had high hopes for the place.

Upon arriving, it wasn’t QUITE what I had expected (the early press led me to believe it would be a little on the fancier side), but this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Our bartender was almost surprisingly friendly and helpful, answering any questions we had without pretension or rush, whether it was about the $2 popcorn or his feelings on the whiskey selection. Jen was absolutely in love with the 60s music and video projections of go-go and burlesque dancers.

The drinks were good. Nothing groundbreaking or phenomenal, but decent enough. I, personally, would have liked to see a few less fruit-sweet whiskey drinks. The food was good and cheap. The parts of the place when viewed individually were wholly unremarkable, but when they come together, The Trestle really seems to be onto something. A lot of what I have been hoping would come out of the craft cocktail movement is present here: good drinks in a low-key, regular-friendly space where you can come without worrying about spending $200 on a decent night of drinking. I love the fancy, classy cocktail bars of the world, and I have been spoiled by living down the street from Southwark since it opened, but Trestle Inn is the kind of place that not only makes drinking cocktails more affordable, but makes it more accessible to the kind of person that would probably never set foot in The Franklin. The drinks will never be of the same caliber, but it’s going a long way to fill in the gaps between the two poles. Most importantly, it was a fun place. Relaxed in a way that a lot of bars seem to forget how to be.

We’ve got a friend moving into that neighborhood, so here’s to hoping we have more excuses to return.

The Trestle Inn is at the corner of 11th and Callowhill streets in the Eraserhood or the “Loft District” or whatever you want to call that viaduct area these days. www.thetrestleinn.com

The holidays are here, which means it’s time for getting together with friends and family, celebrating the past year and toasting the new one to come. For us, there’s no better way to do this than with a delicious cocktail at one of Philly’s amazing bars and restaurants.  Philly Homegrown, a food and drink blog by Visit Philly that promotes and celebrates local food, recently featured a great post about the best holiday drinks in town this season. Some of the featured drinks came from well-known watering holes like the Franklin but many came from unexpected places like C19, Positano Coast and Zahav. Visit Philly asked us to check out the list and have a drink on them. Never ones to turn down a drink, we said yes. I’d been meaning to check out Vedge ever since it opened last month, especially after hearing good things about their cocktail menu, so we headed over there last night, not sure what to expect.

We were seated in the gorgeous cocktail lounge area of the restaurant, which we both thought was a great concept.  The lounge resembles an old-timey smoking room with two giant windows featuring stained glass coats of arms overlooking the busy street. Daniel, one of the 2 bar managers at Vedge, came over to chat with us about the drinks and their bar program.  Jon ordered the Apple Cide Car from the Philly Homegrown list (it’s not on the menu anymore, but just ask for it) and I couldn’t resist the timely Sugar Plum. Jon’s Cide Car came out first and it did not disappoint. A spin on the classic Sidecar, it mixes Laird’s 100 Proof Bonded Apple Brandy with fresh cider, maple, orange and house made smoked cinnamon. Jon thought this was the perfect kind of drink to let the bonded apple brandy really shine. The smoked cinnamon also added a really lovely aroma to drink, while the maple and cider flavors smoothed everything out. The Sugar Plum, made with Plymouth gin, Averell Damson gin, St. Germain, lemon juice and garnished with festive cranberries, was a really surprising drink. I was expecting something cloying and sweet but what I got was a really subtle, slightly sweet and floral cocktail. Daniel created this drink and introduced me to Averall Damson gin, which is a gin infused with tart damson plums from New York.  The sugar content makes this gin more of a liqueur but it still retains the flavor of botanicals nicely.

The rest of the small but creative cocktail menu looked so great we couldn’t resist ordering another drink. This time Jon got the Bitter Butterfly (Del Maguey mescal, Ramazzotti, Dolin sweet vermouth, house made ancho bitters, lime) because, as he says, this is The Winter of Mezcal, and I had been eying the Cold Meiser (Cocchi Americano, Luxardo Maraschino, Rothman & Winters apricot liqueur, meyer lemon, kumquat) because we just recently got a bottle of Rothman & Winters apricot liqueur and I’ve been meaning to start experimenting with it. Jon thought the Bitter Butterfly would be a great intro to mezcal drink.  It was smoky with a hint of bitterness from the Ramazzotti, but very smooth overall. Daniel mentioned that while Vedge was getting ready to open, he started creating his own variety of bitters, such as the ancho bitters in the Bitter Butterfly. He was awesome enough to let us smell and taste them all and I think Jon secretly wanted to pocket the Cherry Cola bitters.  My drink was a tad on the sweet side for me but would be great for someone who wanted a fruitier and not sour or bitter cocktail.

All in all, our trip to Vedge was awesome, including the 10,000 small plates that we devoured  (seitan taco, HELLO). Expect a rotating, seasonally conscious list of awesome cocktails by Daniel and Jill, and definitely go sit in the dark and intimate cocktail lounge.

More after the break!

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