MANAYUNK

By guest blogger Danielle Kanak of Have a Night Manayunk

Edited by Rachel Jenkins

The week of November 7th-13th, Manayunk hosted its second annual Cocktail Week. Throughout the week, all your favorite bars, restaurants, and other establishments along Main Street offered week-long signature cocktails, happy hour specials, bar crawls, and food and drink pairings. Check out the highlights:

Cocktail Week in Manayunk kicked off on Sunday night with Hendrick’s Peculiar Promenade bar crawl hosted by Hendrick’s Gin. Starting at Smokin’ John’s Barbeque and ending at Lucky’s Last Chance, the bar crawl featured a free signature gin cocktail at eight of Main Street’s most popular bars. As the name suggested, the night was filled with appropriately creative and peculiar delights--including some pretty snazzy costumes. In the end, Lucky’s Last Chance was named the victor for Best Hendrick's Gin Cocktail with their lime-and-cayenne “Jalapanos Island.” Craft Manayunk nabbed second place with their unique orange marmalade and quail-egg-garnished mix, and Bourbon Blue took third with the “Bee’s Knees” cocktail, featuring orange blossom, lavender, and a honeycomb garnish.

Each day throughout the week, Main Street establishments featured a different specialty cocktail or food pairing. From The Pig & Whiskey Dinner at Bourbon Blue to the 2nd Annual Fried Chicken, Whiskey, Beer & Cheese Dinner at The Goat’s Beard, guests were treated to uncommonly delicious feasts and libations. One of many bars participating in cocktail week was Cactus Cantina Restaurant & Bar. On a ginger beer kick, Cactus featured several classic cocktail and ginger beer concoctions. The first cocktail, Dark & Stormy, was made with Kraken Rum and ginger beer & the second--crowd-favorite Moscow Mule--was made with Stoli Vodka and ginger beer.

Bayou Rum’s Main Street Stroll got the cocktail creativity flowing on Wednesday night. This time, the sold-out event featured local bars competing for the title of Best Bayou Rum Cocktail. Participants were treated to a free cocktail and complimentary food (including wings made with a specialty Bayou Rum sauce). By the end of the night, Manayunk Brewery took the crown with their “Au Lari Main” cocktail, a slightly minty, somewhat citrusy, mildly chocolatey original recipe.

“Get Lit” at the Spiral Bookcase was a huge hit on Friday night. Perhaps one of the more unique places to grab a cocktail during the week, this was a history buff and bibliophile’s dream come true. The Cotton Street bookstore hosted a night of old-school cocktails, story and poetry reading, and music. The event celebrated the works of the Lost Generation, the group of writers and poets who began their work during World War I and were caught up in the whirlwind Roaring Twenties.

All in all, Manayunk Cocktail Week was a huge success this year. Can’t wait to see you again next year for another round of boozy fun to celebrate the art of the cocktail!