Laura Zastrow
The Hotel Nacional is pure summer.
Lucille, 101 King St., has a pledge to serve “laid-back” drinks. The drinks menu at the new pizzeria and lounge from the team that also runs Merchant features plenty of tequila, but the “laid-back” part is mostly realized through rum. Step into the new eatery and you’ve basically entered an everlasting summer of smooth, aged-rum cocktails, icy fresh pitchers of rum punch and a rotating menu of daiquiri shooters.
The shooters are a great idea. For three bucks, you basically get a mini-cocktail of lime, sugar and a featured daily rum. The day I stopped in, they were shooting Hamilton Jamaican, a pot still rum with a hefty fruit aroma. If you think you’re too old for shooters, suspend your self-imposed ageism and try one. The bartenders are also laid-back, and I’m sure they won’t mind if you sip it.
After your shooter, you’ll still be thirsty for the regular cocktail menu. The drinks are simple and straightforward, but a nice step up in flavor from the daiquiris. I started with an Airmail, a graceful flute of Don Q Añejo rum, lime, honey and champagne.
Not in the mood for bubbly and sweet? I also enjoyed the Hotel Nacional, a scrumptious blend of Don Q Cristal rum, lime juice and pineapple-apricot syrup, served up in a rocks glass. The rum was velvety, and the apricot was pure summer.