05 Jun Where you should be drinking: Centrolina + Amaro Sour Cocktail Recipe

Posted at 07:00h in Blog, Cocktail Recipes, Cocktail Recipes: Modern, Where to Drink, Where to Drink: DC by Roberts & June

Where you should be drinking: Centrolina

We were headed from work to a show and needed a place for dinner that was on the way from the one to the other. We also wanted the food to be good. And, as always, the chance of a decent cocktail was a must. Oh, and a patio. It was a beautiful day.

It took us a moment, but we finally realized that Centrolina in City Center was the place to go. We too often forget City Center. It’s a lovely spot: walkways strung with lights and accented with quiet fountains; stores way too rich for us to shop at but nice to look at; and good restaurants. It’s a completely different world from the noise and busyness of Chinatown and the Verizon Center that surround it. It’s so tucked away that it’s a little hard to remember it’s there. We’re glad we remembered this time.

On the warm, quiet, pleasant patio, we shared a delicious three course Italian dinner. And they had us out just in time to make the show, right around the corner.

What We Tried

Amaro Sour: amaro, amaretto, lemon

What We Thought

We avoid amaretto sours, as any sane lover of good cocktails would. They’re generally too sweet; and they smack of artificial flavor. and of the panic of not knowing what to order and grasping for dear life to a familiar name. This one caught our eye, though, for a couple of reasons. First of all, we’ve been in a sour mood. Second, amaretto plays only a supporting role in this sour, giving the limelight to the much different amaro.

We’re 90% sure that the bartender was inspired to this drink completely by the similarity of name between amaro and amaretto. Whatever, it tasted quite nice. The bitter of the amaro and the sweet of the amaretto mitigated one another nicely, leaving just pleasant hints of bitter and almond in a smoothly sour base.