25 May Where You Should Be Drinking: Cork

Where You Should Be Drinking: Cork

We can tend to be something of homebodies on the weekends, sticking within walking distance of our Capitol Hill apartment. But we were feeling adventurous a couple of Sundays ago; so we wandered across town to 14th Street for brunch at Cork.

They have a small, simple brunch menu of richly flavored small plates. We learned it’s best if you eat family style. They bring the dishes out as they’re ready, and if our meal was any indication they can be ready over a wide spread of time. So, the best way to eat at the same time is to share all the dishes.

We highly recommend the cinnamon roll.

What We Tried

Sweet Brown: rye whiskey, Bevanda al Balsamico, grapefruit bitters

The Marley Mojito: Armagnac, lime, mint, simple syrup

What We Thought

As the name indicates, Cork is a wine bar. In light of that, it was remarkable how they go above and beyond the usual mimosas and Marys in their cocktail menu. The drinks were light–as you’d hope brunch drinks to be–and simple, but with nice little creative twists.

The Sweet Brown was a lightened version of a Manhattan, with an interesting balsamic vinegar playing the part of vermouth. Balsamico al Bevanda, ‘balsamic for drinking’ is exactly what it sounds like: a vinegar re-engineered to be a beverage. It still has a bit of the tang you’d expect from a vinegar, but with the sweetness and fruitiness turned way up, with influences of apple and cherry, and more grape than you think of a vinegar having. It made for a smooth but complex fruit flavor to the cocktail, the rye adding just a bit of peppery finish.

The Marley Mojito is straightforward in concept: swap rum for brandy. It’s amazing, therefore, just how interesting it was to the taste. Fruity, but crisp. Smooth, but a little spicy. It made us want to go out right then and buy a bottle of Armagnac.