At-home drink guide
Liquor stores are still open for a reason
April 8, 2020
Guys, I get it. Drinking alone sucks. What’s the point of slamming a six-pack of Natty Light if you can’t do it with the boys on a Saturday night?
Even worse, the bars are closed to indoor business. No drunken revelry at The Coug, Valhalla Bar and Grill or any of your favorite weekend hangouts. Ugh.
Fortunately, most places are still open for takeout — and that includes drinks. Paradise Creek Brewery will deliver beer to your doorstep, while places like Mingles Bar and Grill and La Casa Lopez, both in Moscow, offer cocktails to go.
“Our whole drink menu is available, whether that’s bottled beer or liquor-made drinks,” said Mitchell Lopez, co-owner of La Casa Lopez. “That includes things like margaritas, mojitos and pina coladas.”
Rico’s Pub owner Tawny Szumlas said the Liquor Control Board changed its rulings for alcohol takeout and delivery at restaurants for the duration that these establishments are closed. As with Lopez, she said the experience is new for most, if not all, of her employees.
“Everything [other than growlers] has to be factory-sealed,” Szumlas said. “We’re doing growlers, beers — singles or in packs — and bottled wine.”
Lopez said implementing curbside carryout has been a “learning-as-you-go” experience, but he, his staff and fellow co-owners are grateful for the support they have received transitioning their business to takeout only.
Szumlas said she and the other small businesses in Pullman have also appreciated the ongoing community support and involvement.
“We’re all proud to be a part of this town,” she said.
But then again, maybe you’re trying to save money. Maybe you used your last dollar bill as toilet paper (I’m not judging). In that case, you might have to get creative.
That’s why this past weekend, I cracked open a cold one with the crew (all two of them) and cobbled together some drinks from the weird sh-t we found in the fridge. And don’t worry, we kept our social distance. You can still clink glasses from six feet away.
Drink No. 1: Grapefruit Pink Thing
Ingredients: Juice from half a pink grapefruit, honey (dissolved in a little hot water), a cup of your finest (cheapest) Pink Moscato.
Notes: Very sweet and smooth. Possibly dangerous in that it tastes like deliciously bittersweet fruit punch. Perfectly acceptable to drink at room temperature.
Drink No. 2: Choccy Milk
Ingredients: 3 shots Kahlua, 1 cup dark chocolate almond milk
Notes: Definitely dangerous in that it only tastes like chocolate milk with the vague scent of coffee. The common consensus about this drink: “I can’t taste alcohol.” Best served with either a mini caramel stroopwafel or chicken nuggets.
Drink No. 3: Polo Shirt Guy with Boat Shoes
Ingredients: 1 shot 44 North huckleberry vodka, ¾ cup lemonade, handful of crushed blueberries, 3-5 muddled mint leaves
Notes: It’s fun. Tastes like grape sorbet. Brings to mind images of country club folk lounging on the pool deck while I bring them their third order of ranch and sweet potato fries (this drink might have given me flashbacks to my server/bartender days in Montana).