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As the COVID-19 crisis has worn on and more and more restaurants and bars have adapted their policies to include things like curbside pickup and contactless delivery, we’ve been treated to a renaissance in delicious, creative cocktail options, and, honestly, we probably haven’t been this excited since we were kids asking mom to take us to McDonald’s and she actually said, “Yes.”
Try out one of these Westchester favorites if you’re looking to responsibly indulge this weekend. Or one night this week. Or, you know what? A lunch break. Listen, there are no rules anymore. Wear sweatpants to work. Order a bottle of margaritas for lunch. Total anarchy.
3 Westerly
3 Westerly Rd, Ossining
914.762.1333
In addition to their extensive wine and beer listings, 3 Westerly totes along a quite respectable cocktail menu. Highlights include the fruity, floral “Fig & Sprig” made with Citron Meyer Lemon, elderflower liqueur, and rosemary & fig infused simple syrup with an actual smoked rosemary sprig.
The menu definitely errs on the side of modernized classics, also featuring a “Scottish Mule” utilizing blended Scotch instead of Moscow’s traditional vodka and a “Mezcalita.”
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Cantina Taco & Tequila Bar
166 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains
914.461.3959
If you’re looking for a classic Zoom meeting margarita party, go straight to a tequila bar. While Cantina offers a solid selection of south-of-the-border cocktails, tequilas, and mezcals, the shining stars are the house-made margaritas, available both on the rocks and frozen, with or without additional flavorings for just a dollar extra.
Order them individually, or to get really wild with some Tiger King virtual meeting backgrounds, order a whole bottle!
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Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
444 Saw Mill River Rd, Elmsford
914.741.2337
Captain Lawrence launched its sister business Current Spirits Distillery just before the pandemic hit, so when the brewery started offering pickup and local delivery of its beer and food hall fare, adding a few of its newly crafted cocktails from Mixologist and Beverage Director Sarah Pyles. Standard offerings include 32oz cans (“crowlers” to some) of Gin & Grapefruit with basil, a vodka rosemary Baybreeze, a blood orange tequila, a tequila lager-rita for the beer cocktail enthusiasts, and Pyles’ perfect summer sipper, bourbon strawberry lemonade.
If that’s not your bag, the brewery is also offering it’s beer selection in cans, bottles, and growler fills, along with the distillery’s stock of pure vodka, gins, and whiskeys by the bottle.
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Read More: VIDEO — Get a Sneak Peek at Current Spirits’ Grand Opening Celebration
Dolphin Restaurant Bar Lounge
1 Van Der Donck St, Yonkers
914.751.8170
This upscale cocktail lounge and restaurant isn’t letting a little thing like quarantine get in the way of its happy hour menu. Swing by to pick up the house’s namesake Dolphintini, the blood orange “Lola,” a raspberry lemondrop, or the CHAR — bourbon, simple syrup, blackberry purée, and fresh lemon juice on the rocks. House-made sangria is also on the menu, literally, in both red and white varieties by the glass or pitcher.
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Saltaire Oyster Bar & Kitchen
55 Abendroth Ave, Port Chester
914.939.2425
While there’s still plenty of beer and wine to go around, this Sound Shore spot has launched handcrafted Saltaire Cocktails @Home: 750ml branded bottles of seasonal favorites like the No. 1 Old Fashioned Punch, No. 2 “Spa Day” gin and lavender lemonade, No. 3 Basil-Grapefruit Daiquiri, the No. 4 Spicy Roasted Pineapple Margarita, and the No. 6 Heirloom Bloody Mary for a brunchy treat.
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Traditions 118
11 Old Tomahawk St, Granite Springs
914.248.7200
Open for dinner six days a week, the ‘traditional’ American eatery has added to its menu kits and packs for some of its most popular cocktails. The Moscow Mule pack includes a full liter bottle of Tito’s vodka, eight bottles of Ithaca Ginger Beer, and fresh limes, while the Manhattan pack comes with a liter of Knob Creek Bourbon, a half-bottle of sweet vermouth, and darkly rich Luxardo cherries. You can even grab a blood orange cosmo kit with everything you need to make a raucous team meeting happy hour.
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Whiskey River
38 N Division St, Peekskill
914.293.7550
A brand-new addition to the Downtown Peekskill dining scene, this whiskey bar is already making waves for its killer rotating menu. It also stocks a considerable selection of local, regional, and international whiskeys befitting its name as well as no slouch of a menu when it comes to wines, beers, and other spirits. Mixologist Ashley Lurie combines these into some delightfully whimsical to-go cocktail kits, packaged with their solid ingredients and garnishes on the side and your “active ingredients” in hilariously labeled medicine bottles. Try the Whiskey River “Pain Killer” (essentially a piña colada) or a “Cold Fashioned,” or if you’re feeling hip and urbane the “Filthy AF Martini.”
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