Laura Zastrow
Natt Spil 12.0.
There’s a certain kind of cocktail that, when served to a customer, inspires bar patrons to ditch their original drink order and say: “Actually, I’ll have one of those.”
Bartenders are familiar with this phenomenon: A classic example is a Bloody Mary. My friends and I were guilty of this the other night at Natt Spil, when we became overcome with desire after seeing the bartender garnish a delicious-looking cocktail with Tuaca-infused whipped cream and a twist of orange.
The drink was a Natt Spil 12.0 — named in honor of the bar’s 12th birthday, which was in March. With espresso vodka, bittersweet Amaro Montenegro, Bittercube orange bitters and simple syrup, it’s satisfyingly complex, not too sweet and totally drinkable. A previous recipe used a pre-made iced coffee, but this latest iteration has been revamped to incorporate all housemade ingredients, to great success.
Other new additions to the menu include the Mama Rosita, made with grapefruit-infused tequila, vermouth and Campari — it’s a downright genius take on a classic Negroni. The Let’s Do Lunch captures all the best flavors of spring, combining gin, raspberry liqueur, cucumber, lime juice and orange bitters. Remember Fla-Vor-Ice? It’s like that. But so much better.
