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JULY/AUGUST 2014
SCENE By Kelly A. Magyarics
Big Fat Greek Cocktails
Kapnos in Washington, D.C. offers Mediterranean-inspired cuisine and beverages
W
ashing down mezze with creative cocktails and a Greek-focused-yet-
global wine list is the scene at Mike Isabella's 160-seat restaurant in
Washington, D.C.'s hip Fourteenth Street corridor. Whole spit-roasted
animals like baby goat, lamb and suckling pig are a menu focal point, along with
dips and spreads, flaky phyllo pies, salads, charred octopus and daily specials like
moussaka and souvlaki.
Selections on beverage director Taha Ismail's cocktail menu are peppered with
an Aegean twist. e popular Papadapolous mixes Hum Botanical Liqueur,
grapefruit, lime, maple and Bittermens Burlesque bitters with Skinos, an herbal-
and pine-scented Greek liqueur made from the Mastiha tree—the source of the
spice mastic.
e bottled libation Smile Like a
Doughnut combines Beefeater 24 gin with
a house-made grapefruit tonic and Idoniko
Tsipouro brandy, a clear, grappa-like Greek
spirit. And the effervescent Little One
tops Absolut Elyx single-vineyard vodka,
Aperol, elderflower and lemon bitters with
the 2012 Kir-Yanni Akakies, a Greek rosé
sparkling wine made in Naoussa from the
xinomavro grape. Kapnos' cocktail menu
spans 13 selections, each priced at $13. GREG
POWERS
Greece is known for for its flavored lemonades,
and Kapnos does several lemonade craft
cocktails, such as this rye version.