Bigfork, Montana, Part 1

Many of the Lounge Lizards were born and raised in a Great Lake state, so big lakes are not new to us. Big lakes that overlook mountains, though, are somewhat of a novelty. A beautiful example of such a lake is Flathead Lake which is nestled in the Rockies of northern Montana. Flathead Lake, which is just a bit smaller than Lake Winnebago, is dotted with bars, breweries, and distilleries for locals and visitors alike.

When we visited, we found little cabins to rent just outside the city of Bigfork which lies on the north shore of the lake. We got to the cabins too early for the staff and they recommended a casual bar on the lakeshore called The Raven. We suspect the cabins and The Raven have the same owners since they were both decked out in a Caribbean theme.

Cocktails at The Raven may have a tropical name and pedigree, but the northern vibe absolutely showed through. Its baskets of hand-cut fries, its small bar kitchen, and its locals slamming suds read more Wisconsin dive bar than Jamaican tiki bar. And nothing read ‘Montana’ more than the myriad of huckleberry elements in the drinks. See, Montana loves it some huckleberries. They have huckleberry everything- pies, jams, ice creams, and, yes, cocktails. So, when in Rome… here’s the huckleberry drink I had at The Raven.

Drink: The Huckleberry Fizz

Establishment: The Raven

Location: Bigfork, Montana

First Connoisseur: Holly

2 ounces gin (The Raven uses Whistling Andy Pink Peppercorn Gin)

½ ounce huckleberry syrup

7up or club soda

Combine gin and huckleberry in an iced mixing class. Stir to incorporate and cool the drink. Strain. Top with 7up or club soda. Gently stir to keep the carbonation.

Portland, Maine

Time to take the Lounge Lizards to the farthest-most northeastern locale of the long-standing Around America series- Portland, Maine. Along the sun-splashed early summer wharf, there are plenty of seaside offerings to be had, from Boston clam chowder at Becky’s Dinner to chocolate-covered Maine blueberries at Old Port. All the tasty treats require a bit of liquid refreshment, so why not partake in some of the in-house libations at Liquid Riot Bottling.

Liquid Riot does it all. They brew beer. They distill spirits. They serve lobster bao buns. We came for bottles of their booze. Their catalog includes five types of whiskey, vodka, a couple of beer spirits, rum and fernet; we purchase bottles of the latter two. Their standard rum, Dow’s Demise, is named after Neal Dow, the mayor of Portland in the mid-1850s. Dow, known as the Napoleon of Temperance, instituted the Maine Law, which prohibited alcohol in the city. When the city got wind that Dow had purchased $1300 of liquor at City Hall for ‘medicinal purposes,’ the people rioted and the militia Dow called out killed a man. The Portland Rum Riot of 1855 ended Neal Dow’s political career, but gave both Liquid Riot and their rum, Dow’s Demise, their names.

The Dow’s Demise itself is a blend of small batch rums aged in oak whiskey barrels. It’s funky and sweet; any cocktail you would use a deep Jamaican rum like Smith & Cross in, would be excellent with Dow’s Demise. The house fernet, named Fernet Michaud after Liquid Riot’s proprietors Eric and Ian Michaud, is a blend of 21 botanicals which is aged half a year in Maine blueberry wine barrels. The resulting amaro is mint-forward with grassy bitterness and a sea salt back. 

For a cocktail, we’ll go with a house special in the Resto-bar, the Rum Punch. The recipe is modified from its roots in that Liquid Riot eschews the typical orange juice and adds Benedictine. In addition, the sweetness and color of grenadine is replaced by cherry liqueur.

Drink: Liquid Riot Rum Punch
Establishment: Liquid Riot Resto-bar
Location: Portland, Maine
First Connoisseur: Holly

2 ounces Dow’s Demise Rum
1 ounce Benedictine
1 ounce cherry liqueur (Liquid Riot uses Rothman and Winter)
3 ounces pineapple juice
½ ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
Dash of Angostura bitters

If you don’t have Rothman and Winter cherry liqueur, Herring will work. Place all ingredients in a shaker full of ice. Shake until chilled and foamy. Serve over fresh ice in a Collins glass.

San Antonio, Texas

A five-minute walk down the San Antonio River Walk from the historic Alamo, sits a watering hole that has been satisfying thirsty Texans since the end of Prohibition: The Esquire Tavern. Opening in 1933, just six years ahead of the groundbreaking of the River Walk, the Esquire prides itself on an upstairs brimming with historical swank and a downscaled downstairs that offers a more laid-back setting on the river at the tavern’s rear. Both levels boast a separate cocktail list; the downstairs claims a more uncomplicated experience, but like the upstairs, the house cocktails are likely to contain five or more ingredients, many from the classic prohibition era. No Seven and Sevens here.

The Esquire didn’t mind if the whole family got a bite to eat upstairs, so we did; I grabbed their meatloaf sandwich, which may not seem very sophisticated except with a beautiful classic cocktail in tow. Mine was a Warpaint- a heady concoction of Norwegian Aquavit, Beet-Tarragon Shrub, Herbsaint, Cocchi Americano, and fresh-squeeze lemon juice. Cindy’s cocktail, the Scrubby Collins, was equally involved- a mixture of blanco tequila, strawberry-basil black pepper shrub, and mineral water, stirred on ice and served long.

In true Wisconsin-style, I couldn’t leave without an after-dinner (or lunch, in this case) drink, so I ordered up a Waking the Dead #1 (yes, they did also have a #2 too, which was too fruity for my tastes). Although we don’t know the exact proportions, I do have the ingredients, so here’s my best approximations...

Drink: Waking the Dead #1
Establishment: The Esquire Tavern
Location: San Antonio, Texas
First Connoisseur: Holly

1 ½ ounces bonded bourbon
¾ ounce Italian vermouth (I used Carpano)
½ ounce espresso-fernet (I used a mix of espresso liqueur and fernet branca)
1 ounce pineapple juice
Dash of fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Place all ingredients in a shaker full of ice. Shake until chilled. Serve up in a cocktail glass and enjoy in warm temperatures.