Candis R. McLean
To-Go Cocktails
With the reports alluding that to-go cocktails will soon be flooding the city of Philadelphia, here’s a roundup of some local hotspots that should be your first stop in the coming days. From Bloody Marys to a hurricane to summer sippers like sangria and a grapefruit cucumber cooler, check out the below offerings from Boardroom Spirits, Devil’s Den, Iron Hill Brewery, Jet Wine Bar, and Rex 1516.
• Boardroom Spirits
Boardroom Spirits in Lansdale, PA is offering delivery, pickup and shipping for bottled craft cocktails like the Manhattans, Cosmos, Old Fashioneds and Mai Tais. Deliveries can be made within 30 miles of the distillery (including all of Philadelphia), curbside pickup or shipping throughout the state of PA
• Devil’s Den
Devil’s Den, the South Philadelphia hotspot known for its comfort food and extensive draft and bottle list, is offering a selection of five cocktails-to-go, including:
- Bloody Mary — Housemade Bloody Mary mix with guest’s choice of vodka or tequila
- Mix — $10/quart
- Mix with vodka or tequila — $20/quart
- Serves 3-4
- Grapefruit Cucumber Cooler — Gin, lime juice, grapefruit juice, cucumber juice
- $25/quart
- Serves 3-4
- Summer Sangria — Coconut rum, white wine, pineapple, grenadine
- $20/quart
- Serves 3-4
- Pickletini — Vodka, olive juice, pickle juice
- 12 oz. for $18
- Makes 2 martinis
- Negroni — Gin, sweet vermouth, Campari
- 12 oz. for $18
- Makes 2 negronis
The cocktails along with Devil’s Den’s menu of elevated bar fare is available for pickup Thursday and Friday 2-8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 12-8 p.m. All items must be pre-ordered by calling 215-339-0855 and picked up at the front window on 11th St.
• Iron Hill Brewery
Iron Hill Brewery is selling margaritas by the growler (not just the mix!) for $29. They can be ordered for delivery or curbside pickup at all locations.
• Jet Wine Bar
Jet Wine Bar, Philadelphia’s “global vineyard,” is saying cheers to drinks-to-go and the unofficial start to summer with sangria. Red and white are currently available with rosé coming soon:
- Summer White Sangria — Sauvignon Blanc, pineapple, grapefruit, apple, orange and ginger
- 1L — $15
- 6.5 servings
- Spiced Red Sangria — Spanish red wine, apricot, orange and spice been (cinnamon, star anise, etc.)
- 1L — $15
- 6.5 servings
Jet Wine Bar’s sangria is available online now, here — just in time for Memorial Day Weekend and warmer temps! Jet is open Sunday-Thursday 2-7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 12-7 p.m.
• P.J. Whelihan’s
P.J. Whelihan’s is offering a variety of to go cocktails including seasonal options like spiked strawberry lemonade, sunset breezes, orange krushes and more. All to go cocktails are $6 and can be ordered along with food, beer, wine and seltzers on their online ordering system. Available at all open locations
• Rex 1516
Rex 1516, Philadelphia’s go-to for elevated Southern cuisine, is offering two longtime Rex 1516 staples, three Southern-inspired variations on classic cocktails as well as Bloody Mary and mimosa kits for brunch and mocktails. Each package will boast premixed ingredients, garnishes, and insert instructing guests how to measure out the pour, as well as suggestions on how to prepare and serve them.
All of the cocktails will be available via pre-order at rex1516.com or 267-319-1366 Monday 4-8 p.m. and Thursday-Saturday 4-8 p.m. Brunch cocktails will only be available during brunch — Sunday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
- Deep South — Rooibos tea-infused Vodka, lemon juice, salted honey syrup, lemon wheels
- $32
- Serves 4 (16 oz.)
- Hurricane — Dark rum, light rum, lime juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, housemade grenadine, brandied cherries for garnish
- $32
- Serves 4 (26 oz.)
- Southern Whiskey Sour — Bourbon, lemon juice, lemon-cayenne shrub, simple syrup, brandied cherry and lemon wheel for garnish
- $35
- Serves 4 (16 oz.)
- Ancho Chile Margarita — Blanco tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, ancho chile/sugar/salt blend on rim, lime wedges for garnish
- $35
- Serves 4 (16 oz.)
- Sage Gimlet — Gin, lime juice, sage syrup, sage leaves for garnish
- $35
- Serves 4 (16 oz.)
- Bloody Mary Kit — Vodka, Bloody Mary mix (pre-mixed), served with olives and lime wedges for garnish
- $32
- Serves 4 (30 oz.)
- Bloody Mary Mix ($15) — one quart non-alcoholic housemade spicy Bloody Mary Mix
- Mimosa Kit — Comté de Busqués (2 bottles), choice of orange juice, strawberry or pineapple cordial, orange slices to garnish
- $45
- Approx. 11 mimosas
- Shirley Temples — housemade grenadine, ginger ale
- $12
- 54 oz total
- Salted Honey Lemonade — lemon juice, salted honey syrup, simple syrup
- $12
- 32 oz. total
…
Vampire.Pizza
During this crazy time of quarantine, everyone desperately needs entertainment and good comfort food. Enter: Vampire.Pizza, a bold, new immersive delivery experience that has swept Los Angeles and Las Vegas with its innovative combination of story, game and at-home dining, and is now primed to take over the East Coast (in just a month and a half!) expanding into Philadelphia and NYC this month. It’s shaking up the experiential economy and changing the way we eat at home.
Vampire (dot) Pizza has teamed up with Philly favorite Pizzeria Stella to bring exceptionally-made pizza and much-needed excitement straight to customers’ doors, delivered (of course) by a mysterious, ageless vampire. Vampire.Pizza is an “amusement park in a box,” and an activity the whole family can really sink their teeth into, all while safely self-isolating.
And as a restaurateur who likens the experience of dining out to that of attending a theater production, partnering with Vampire.Pizza was a no brainer.
“People are bored right now,” explained Stephen Starr, “they have been quarantined for months, and there’s only so much you can do to make dinner at home fun. Adding a bit of drama with Vampire.Pizza transforms dinnertime into entertainment for all of the senses.”
“We are extremely honored to be partnering with Stephen Starr and Pizzeria Stella, so our customers not only are able to enjoy a fun, new world of story and game, but also the absolute best pizza in Philadelphia, right from the comfort of their home,” said Josh Sugarman, the mastermind behind Vampire.Pizza (and Philly native).
During this time of quarantine, Sugarman saw a huge void in restaurant dining needing to be filled in a new, fun, and creative way. “We wanted to innovate and bring this sense of story, discovery, surprise, all the things we used to take for granted at a good restaurant, into the home,” says Sugarman. Over the course of two weeks, he assembled a group of artists and storytellers, to imagine the world of Vampire.Pizza. “To create an experience that changes the way we eat as a family at home, that gets us away from our screens and gets us interacting in a new way over great food – that’s what this is about,” added Sugarman.
Philadelphia pre-order reservations opened on May 15, for a limited run of deliveries Memorial Day weekend, May 22-25. Players can place their orders online for an exclusive Vampire.Pizza x Stella menu, and receive a pizza and salad dinner and a game kit with an immersive story and interactive game. Customers can select either a delivery date and time, or a contactless pickup option at Pizzeria Stella. The 60-90-minute experience allows secret passage into the world of Belle and her Vamps. She’s a leader who has created a pizza delivery service as a cover to unite vampires (they’re alive and well in modern-day Philadelphia) and start a revolution. Belle and her Vamps strive to provide a safe and contactless experience. Delivery vamps are asked to follow CDC guidelines upon arrival. Immersive story and game materials have been sterilized and sealed.
…
Chestnut Hill Fine Dining
• Jansen
When restaurants had to close due to the pandemic, Jansen began offering multiple takeout options for patrons. Jansen Chef-owner David Jansen crafted the takeout menu with the same quality products expected while dining at Jansen. And while you may not be able to enjoy the gorgeous patio dining just yet, you are still able to enjoy the expertly-prepared cuisine.
We had to reinvent ourselves to provide the same type of exemplary food and service we did when we were open for full service,” Jansen said. One way was to offer three-course meals, created for a family of four, focusing on a different type of cuisine every week.
“For our guests that have more time on their hands and want to be involved in the cooking process, they can purchase one of our Butcher Boxes,” Jansen said.
The Butcher Boxes offer customers high-quality, locally-sourced, organic meats including Kobe Culotte Steak, Bournes BBQ Smoked Pulled Pork, and the very popular Bournes BBQ Smoked Spare Ribs. Directions outlining how to best cook the meat accompany each meal. To complement the main dish, guests may also purchase an “Essential Grocery” package containing fruits, vegetables, nuts, and dairy. There is also an a la carte menu where you can order dishes, including tuna poke, pithivier, shellfish orzo, organic chicken breast, beef sirloin, Jansen’s LOVE cake, hazelnut cake, and many more.
For the holiday weekend, Jansen is offering a special Memorial Day BBQ box which includes burgers with all the fixings, petite NY strip steaks, sausages, house marinated quarter chickens, and a full rack of Bournes Smoked BBQ Spare Ribs. Meals are made for four, cost $150, and are available for pickup on Friday.
To order same day pickup from Jansen, available Wednesday through Sunday, call the restaurant at 267- 335-5041. For next-day pickup, email your name, phone number, pickup time, and your order to [email protected].
The Jansen Family meal is available on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The a la carte menu is available Friday through Sunday.
• Mica
Mica‘s Chef-owner Yianni Arhontoulis serves up the approachable and inventive menu for those looking to bring the restaurant’s modern American flare to their home.
“We are excited to present From Mica With Love, our new takeout menu to our patrons,” said Arhontoulis, who welcomed the challenge of rethinking and creating innovative ways to present fine dining. “We are known as a fine-dining restaurant and believe our new takeout menu continues the tradition of excellence without compromising taste or experience.”
A la carte options include Tender Beef Short Rib, Braised Short Ribs Tortelloni, Grilled Berkshire Pork, Scottish Salmon, and creamy Chocolate Mousse. A weekly themed family meal that starts at $90 for two is customizable for parties up to six people and is available for families looking for a delectable dine-at-home experience.
Mica is also opening its pantry to sell seasonal ingredients and specialty food items, including garlic caramel, smoked shallot oil, plum vinegar, new potato and leek soup, house-made fermented hot sauce, and other gourmet needs.
Mica will be open for takeout Thursday through Saturday, from 5 p.m.- 7 p.m. Orders can be placed online at micarestaurant.com.
As part of #KeepItOnTheHill campaign, the Chestnut Hill Business District has compiled and updates a weekly comprehensive online guide of take-out, delivery, and curbside pickup options at local restaurants, as well as a list of virtual offerings, specials, and programming of 50 Chestnut Hill shops and institutions. You may find the guide here.
You can follow Candis McLean on Twitter (@CandisRMcLean) and e-mail her at [email protected].
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