Bee Rummy @ChapelTavern

Chapel is such an interesting space, I can never quite figure out who their demographic is.  On one hand it looks like an old man's log cabin, on the other it has a DJ station and a pool table.  It's all over the place, but their drinks are always on point so I don't really mind.

Patron of the blog Marki took me out for a couple of these Bee Rummy's, and they are delightful.  Recently they've been taken off the drink menu, but you can still request them if you want one.

It was very much a boozy throat coat tea kind of drink.  I honestly enjoyed the crap out of it, so much so that I had one over my usual limit.  It's worth asking for if you are in Chapel.

Chapel Tavern

1099 S Virginia St, Reno, NV 89502

 (775) 324-2244

Monday	2:00 pm – 4:00 am
Tuesday	2:00 pm – 4:00 am
Wednesday	2:00 pm – 4:00 am
Thursday	2:00 pm – 4:00 am
Friday	2:00 pm – 4:00 am
Saturday	10:00 am – 4:00 am
Sunday	10:00 am – 4:00 am

Pack a Mean Punch at Rawbry

The Basement has officially opened, and it is hipster paradise.  The grey walls with stark white faux brick, the low black ceilings...it's a beautiful design.  You forget that you are actually in the basement of the old post office, even though you took a rickety looking set of stairs to get there.

Until it is revealed which "major retailer" is taking over upstairs (my money is on an Anthropologie or UNIQLO), this is all there is.  While I was there they were doing lots of construction, I think on a stage small enough it could only take poetry slams, and even then only Haiku's.

That's a joke, son.

Anyway, along with a coffee shop, flower shop, barber shop, and chocolate shop, there is a juice bar.  Locally owned Rawbry says that they are raw juice, and I think their location was inside the old jail cell, so robbery.  Raw + Robbery= Rawbry.  They even have a video on their site that looks like a local filmmaker saw Spring Breakers and decided to get creative.  The branding is so intense that I really thought this was a national brand that had deigned to come to Reno.

However it ended up happening, I'm very glad that they came.  When we arrived, they were very nice and gave us a lot of information about how they make their juice.  They gave us a sample of their "juice of the day" which happened to be the "Pack a Mean Punch."  It has Pineapple, Apple, Lemon, and Ginger.  It actually does have a bit of a kick to it, due to the ginger, but I loved it.  I love all four  ingredients, and together they were so great.  This amazing drink comes in a large glass bottle that looks like a wide mouth version of an old time milk bottle.  Because it's pretty, and made of glass, you feel like you need to hold onto it.  Rawbry gets that, and you get a dollar off your next drink if you bring it back to them.

You'll need that dollar, because this particular juice will set you back just under $10.  That's not a mis-type, you could go cheaper by getting the most expensive burrito bowl at Chipotle.  However, as I sit here thinking about how much I want the rest of the juice, eyeing the fridge, feeling my mouth water...geez it's almost worth it.

As I perused their website, I saw a few others that I wanted to try out; the Rawket Science, Matcha Latte, and the Jalapen'yo Business.  Of course the ones that sound the best to me are also the more expensive ones.  They do go as low as $5, and that might be the one I get next time.

As they are a local business, they might actually be in the running for the official state drink of Nevada.  I'll just have to take out a small loan in order to try the rest.

Rawbry
The Basement
50 S. Virginia St
Reno, NV 89501
775 384 3468

Monday-Friday	7AM–7PM		Satruday-Sunday 10AM-6PM

Pumpkin Parable Featuring @dogfishbeer from @EatAtMidtown

  I got an awesome shout out on Instagram from Midtown Eats to try out this drink.  I'm a basic bitch for anything pumpkin and bourbon, so I was on my way and met a friend there for lunch and drinks.  We both ordered one and shared some appetizers.  Side note, the fried cauliflower is a dream.

We both decided to try out this drink, and we were not disappointed at all.  It was the perfect blend of all ingredients so that it was just delightful.  It had nutmeg on the top, which I get from last week is supposed to be festive, but ya'll...mix it in with the drink!!!  When I have to spit out pieces of nutmeg or skim it off to enjoy my drink, it ends up making the drink not worth drinking.  Luckily I had a knife I wasn't using and a little mixing and this was some perfection. 

Although I felt the "kick" a little, it never tasted too strong.  It was a perfect balance that wasn't overpowering in pumpkin.  I would drink it all year long, but sadly Dogfish Head only has Pumpkin flavored ale this time of year.  I'm just going to be thankful that it exists at all, and enjoy it all month long.  Yum!

Cotton Candy Lemon Drop at Bistro Napa @AtlantisCasino

I'm going to go ahead and fully admit that I'm not a pink kind of girl.  There are some girls that love pink, and everything is all "Legally Blonde" and happy.  I've always been a blue-green sort of girl.  When Sex and the City made the pink cosmo a thing, I could barely walk into a bar without seeing that pepto-pink monstrosity.  Not that I walked into bars all that often back then, but they still haunted me.

I've eased up on pink and have even come to like it in short bursts.  So when I was offered this Cotton Candy Lemon Drop, I let go of my pink hate and embraced one of my favorite things; spun sugar.  Cotton candy in a drink?  Hats off to whomever decided to make this a thing.

Everyone at the table laughed at me because after my first sip I said "Well that is just diabetes in a glass."  I meant it in the best way possible however!  It actually had a great flavor for only really having three ingredients. I didn't taste much of the lemon myself, but it was a lot of sugary goodness.

The real draw here, however, was the fact that they fill the glass up with cotton candy, and then pour the drink over it.  I was late arriving, so my party was nice enough to order and film the magic for me.

 

Bistro Napa @ Atlantis 
3800 S Virginia St, Reno, NV 89502
(775) 335-4539

Monday	5:00 – 9:00 pm
Tuesday	5:00 – 9:00 pm
Wednesday	5:00 – 9:00 pm
Thursday	5:00 – 9:00 pm
Friday	5:00 – 10:00 pm
Saturday	5:00 – 10:00 pm
Sunday	5:00 – 9:00 pm

  

Raspberry Mule @ZBarRenoNV

We have sort of become regulars at Z Bar.  There was a point there where I was seeing the owner KJ more than I was seeing my own family.  KJ will just make stuff up for us sometimes, and one night he decided to make up a raspberry mule.

I talked a few weeks ago about how I had really gotten into mules, and I honestly think that it is 70% the glass.  I was a little disappointed in Chapel because they just used a regular glass.  These copper mugs are actually really expensive, so much so that there is a fun story about someone trying to steal one floating around the internet.

KJ might kill me for saying this, but I think he just made a regular Mule and topped it with some raspberries.  It tasted like the Spiced Mule from his menu, maybe he muddled in one raspberry.  However, his Spiced Mule is still a freaking delight, and since I'm not really a fan of pears I like this version better.

The Mule might be a passing fad, but it is in the running for me.






Z Bar
1074 S Virginia St, Reno, NV 89502
(775) 348-1723

Monday	4:00 pm – 12:00 am
Tuesday	4:00 pm – 12:00 am
Wednesday	4:00 pm – 12:00 am
Thursday	4:00 pm – 12:00 am
Friday	4:00 pm – 2:00 am
Saturday	4:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sunday	Closed

The Heirloom Martini @ZBarReno

I ordered a dirty martini from KJ the other day, and he told me I didn't want it.  He told me I wanted an Heirloom Martini instead.

Maybe he was right, or maybe he was just out of olives that day.  I went along with it because I know better than to argue with KJ.  I want to be able to come back to Z Bar anytime I want.

Although what I was looking for was more briney, the savory flavors were totally amazing.

It reminded me of the time I went to Molto Vegas, now called Bet the Farm.  We picked up these amazing tomatoes that tasted like nothing else I've ever had.  This was totally the drink equivalent of that.  The only thing that sucks is that one of the garnishes, the basil leaf, isn't quite the snack that I'd like it to be.  Cherry tomatoes are the bomb though.

I think that the moral of the story here is to always listen to your bartender.  Especially if he is KJ.  No joke.

P.S. Try not to be too mean with your April Fools today.  Only fun things!

Z Bar
1074 S Virginia St, Reno, NV 89502
(775) 348-1723

Monday	4:00 pm – 12:00 am
Tuesday	4:00 pm – 12:00 am
Wednesday	4:00 pm – 12:00 am
Thursday	4:00 pm – 12:00 am
Friday	4:00 pm – 2:00 am
Saturday	4:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sunday	Closed

The "Herbal" at Jüs

I felt like I had to stir it a lot before drinking

An impromptu shopping trip lead my mother and I to Jüs on Damonte Ranch.  Because one of my rules is that it doesn't have to have alcoholic, I thought that we should give it a try.

 The location is really cute, with lots of (reclaimed looking) dark wood and fun furniture.  The employees were a couple of very nice girls that asked us if we had any questions about the menu.  They were super sweet the whole time we were there, great customer service.  I appreciate that, considering that in other establishments it is a dying art.

My mom got an Orangesicle smoothie, and I decided I should go for an original juice (jus?).  I'm not a big fan of kale or....well, other things on the menu.  I decided the safe bet was to go for the "Herbal" under the "For Your Brain" portion of the menu.  It stated there was apple, carrot, lemon, cilantro, parsley, and mint.

I'm a huge fan of lemon, cilantro, and mint.  However, these things just don't make me happy together.  It tasted like it was 50% carrot and 50% Cilantro.  If I concentrated really hard, I could taste the parsley a little.  I only got about 1/3 of the way down before I couldn't really take it anymore and I had to throw it away.

I guess I'm not quite made for clean living.  Now where did I put my double stuffed Oreos?

jüs

Damonte Ranch (South Reno)
Monday-Sunday 7am-7pm
191 Damonte Ranch Parkway, Unit B
Reno, Nevada 89521

775-852-1401

Bee's Knees @1864Tavern

Yes, this is my third drink at 1864 I've reviewed.  It really is my favorite place to drink.  If KJ from Z Bar worked there I wouldn't drink anywhere else again.

Not that the bartenders aren't super awesome at 1864, they are.  While I was there with Stand Up Comedian/BFF Amanda Alvey, she told me that he was in a conversation with some other patrons saying "Caaampo or Campo? Is the food good? Then who cares??"

In fact, I actually did a stupid thing and went to the bathroom instead of writing down what was in my Bee's Knees.  Since the drink isn't listed on their online menu, I sent them a tweet asking, but it looks like they don't check it that often so I ended up sending them an email to ask. Awesomely they answered right away, and the post was saved!

Shawn emailed "The "Bee's Knees" is a classic cocktail that dates back to prohibition. It consists of Gin, Honey, and Fresh Lemon Juice.  (2oz, 3/4oz, 3/4oz ratio). Sometimes, at the customers/bartenders preference, we will sometimes substitute Elderflower water for the honey.  It gives it a slightly different sweetness, but still super good."

It was a little thin but sweet. I love that it had crushed ice, almost as much as I love their old school square cubes.  I just love a bar with different kinds of ice. It came with an elegant lemon peel garnish, so no eating for me again.

In the end it wasn't my cup of tea, but I'll always come back to 1864 Tavern.

1864 Tavern
290 California Ave, Reno, NV 89509
(775) 329-1864

Monday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Tuesday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Wednesday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Thursday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Friday	3:00 pm – 2:00 am
Saturday	3:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sunday	3:00 – 11:00 pm