Cocktails take Center Stage at The Standing Room LIC

It’s hard for me to say the following sentence without sounding like a total lush…but I’ve been around the cocktail block many (many) times. I’ve rarely met a cocktail that I didn’t like. I’ve almost become complacent about drinking them, but a recent drinks tasting at The Standing Room LIC made me realize that there is cocktail drinking and then there is cocktail drinking.

Our cocktail guru Gene explained that although The Standing Room is a comedy club* incredible care and attention has been taken with the cocktail menu. The drinks are made with fresh ingredients, homemade infused liquors (I suggest you do a shot of the spicy tequila), and all the drinks are inspired by Japanese mixologists. Interesting to find out that the Japanese have become renowned for their cocktail creations. Gene explained it’s all about a process of layering ingredients and creating a presentation that connects all your senses.

Check out how we connected with these cocktails.

Shout out to my fellow drinking buddy Marielle Solan who also took all these beautiful pics. She is so talented. If you have upcoming photography needs, you should absolutely reach out to her.

Let’s start out with a Standing Room crowd favorite, Smoke. A bourbon based cocktail that after mixed rests under a glass dome. A tiny smoker-that burns blue-is fitted underneath the dome, and after a couple of seconds fills the dome with a hazy yellow/amber Smoke. After a couple of seconds of rest the dome is removed-and you are served your drink; smoke remains billowing inside the glass as you bring it to your mouth to sip, you smell a deep campfire smell mixed with cinnamon.

It reminded me of fall camp-outs with my Girl Scout troops (in another life I worked for the GS). Those smells stick with you as you drink-even after the smoke evaporates you always get a little bit of that wood smell. It’s such a fun visual and it adds a nice touch to that bourbon flavor. (If you hate campfires it might not be for you, just watch it get made!)

Haters please don’t come after me. I just don’t like Matcha tea. The secret is out, I’m not cool, but it’s just not my thing. However if you are into that-try the Matcha. Marielle was in charge of drinking this one. She reported a light and creamy texture, and given she drank it all, I can only assume creamy worked for her.

However as with all the drinks we tasted, great presentation, and the color is beautiful.

A drink that I would absolutely order again was the Pineapple. I had to remind myself to try and enjoy it and not just suck it down. If you are noticing a trend in the names of these drinks, you’re correct, they are straightforward and simple. A deliberate decision made by the mixologists. Similar to the Smoke the Pineapple is a treat for your taste buds and your eyes. Made with Passion Fruit rum with a flambéed lime and sprinkles of vanilla that sparked and shined.

Finally we ended our tasting with a fast-becoming-infamous drink for The Standing Room. The Flower. A bright gin concoction of elderflower, cranberry, and lavender served in a light bulb (what a bright idea!) over crushed ice. It’s almost too pretty to drink…almost.

If you want to mix things up and have cocktail fun, check out The Standing Room. You won’t be disappointed. *If you want to check out a comedy show make sure you use our The Standing Room LIC deal.

A big thank you to The Standing Room for letting us come day drink with them so Marielle could take advantage of good lighting! Thank you also to our cocktail guru Gene for talking to us about cocktails, LIC, politics, travel, and more.

The Standing Room 4738 Vernon Blvd, LIC
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This post is sponsored by The Standing Room. Thanks for supporting the brands that support We Heart Astoria.