There’s nothing more obnoxious than a twee cocktail. Tiny paper umbrellas belong on tiny beaches, and there’s no need to garnish a beverage with anything more than a twist of lime. So when Scott ordered the Angel Fizz at Sofrito in White Plains, and it was served up with the most delicate orange blossom floating on the surface, it was hard to get over—until we tried it. They could have sprinkled that thing with rainbows and unicorn tears for all we cared; it was delicious. Made with Don Q Coco, Bombay Sapphire dry gin, coconut and pineapple crème, fresh lime juice, and infused syrup, Angel Fizz was as heavenly as its name. And to balance out that whimsical wonder, we ordered up a Caipirinha that was bold and biting in the best possible way. The scene after work at the upstairs bar was fairly standard Happy Hour, but the décor was bright and inviting, and the empanadas we ordered were filling without being too heavy.
In the mood for something spicier, we headed to Mount Vernon’s Ripe Kitchen & Bar for some jerk chicken and rum punch so strong you could smell it before you saw it. (Warning: For GPS users, manually insert Ripe’s address, or Google Maps will take you to a random house in a not-so-great neighborhood, which happened to both of us.) This hole-in-the-wall joint has a Jamaican rum-shack feel—colorful walls strung with lights and pulsing reggae. The cocktail menu itself is reason enough to stop by; the drink names are explicit, and hilarious (Sexy Motherf*****, anyone?). The Buffalo Soldier chicken wings were no joke—spicy, tender, and succulent, the perfect prelude to the one-quarter jerk chicken we each had. The rum punch was so strong, it could have peeled the paint off the place, but the Sexy Motherf*****, made with vodka and a variety of tropical fruit juices, was delicious and well balanced. Sexy, indeed.