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Each week, we order the same cocktail at two different bars for a friendly head-to-head battle. Go to the bars, taste them both and tell us what you like about each by tagging @pghcitypaper on Twitter or Instagram and using #CPBoozeBattles. If you want to be a part of Booze Battles, send an email to food-and-beverage writer Celine Roberts, at celine@pghcitypaper.com.
The Drink: Old Fashioned
Club Café
56 S. 12th St., South Side
Drink: Aged-Rum Old Fashioned
Ingredients: Don Q añejo rum, sugar cube, Angostura bitters, orange peel, whole cloves
Our take: From the first taste until the last, this cocktail is full of warm clove undertones that balance nicely with the rum. The astringency of the orange peel provides a foil to the richness of the vanilla notes in the rum, making this an honorable take on the classic.
Vs.
Independent Brewing Company
1704 Shady Ave, Squirrel Hill
Drink: Oaxaca Old Fashioned
Ingredients: Cazadores tequila reposado, Del Maguey Vida mezcal, agave, Angostura and mole bitters, lemon peel
Our take: Heavily sweet with just a hint of smoke from the mezcal, this cocktail is one for sipping in small, citrusy bursts. Chocolate notes are present throughout, and the result packs a punch. This drink would be an excellent finish to a warm summer night and after a Mexican beer or two.
This article appears in Jul 5-12, 2016.
