Justin Fox Burks
At the Cove, a Splash of Draft Beer Reinvents a Bloody Mary
Bartender Adam Petrovsky learned to make a Bloody Mary years ago from a regular customer everyone called Hippie. “He told me the secret was a splash of draft beer,” Petrovsky says. “I still make it that way to this day.”
Along with a splash of Wiseacre Tiny Bomb, Petrovsky’s Bloody Mary combines organic tomato juice, dill seasoning, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and Jane’s Krazy Mixed-Up Salt, a salt and herb seasoning popular for more than 40 years. Petrovsky also serves his Bloody Mary neat — not over ice — so there is no chance of it getting watered down. One of almost 50 specialty cocktails served at The Cove, the drink is a delicious partner for a dozen Chesapeake Bay oysters, especially when you find yourself sitting at The Cove’s ship bar rescued from Anderton’s Restaurant. — sara harrison
2559 Broad Ave. (901-730-0719)
Justin Fox Burks
At the Rec Room, Aracade Game Icons Get a Spirited Makeover
Feeling over-stimulated by the Rec Room’s 20-foot screens and a little confused about what to drink? Then head to the bar and make an attack with Hadoken, the Street Fighter’s iconic blue fireball reinvented with alcohol. “It’s one-third vodka, one-third sake, and one-third Curacao,” explains manager Dana Doggrell. “Our goal is to light it on fire, but we don’t know if the fire department will let us do it.”
Honored with a digitized color mural behind the Rec Room bar, the Hadoken is one of several cocktails themed toward gaming, a recent addition to the venue’s rotating selection of local draft beers. The Mario-rita, a cherry-flavored margarita with Grenadine, Maraschino cherries, and a dash of Sprite on top, is another barcade favorite. “People say, ‘Give me something sweet,’ so I make them a Mario-rita,” Doggrell says. “It’s not fancy, but they love it.” — pamela denney
3000 Broad Ave. (901-209-1137)
Justin Fox Burks
At Bikesmith, Grab a Locally Brewed Beer While You Wait
The Bikesmith, a mobile bike repair truck you might have seen driving around Memphis, has found a permanent garage in the Historica Broad Avenue Arts District. Even better, riders can grab a cold beer while they wait on services ranging from tune-ups and wheel replacements to building bikes from scratch. “I’ve worked on unicycles and tricycles. Any brand of bike and any type of bike, we’ll work on it,” says owner Jim Steffen.
Steffen opened the shop as an extension of his repair truck in hopes of getting more Memphians to ride bikes. He decided to sell bottled and canned beer from Wiseacre and Ghost River, two of the city’s five local breweries, because beers and bikes go hand-in-hand. “People get done with a long bike ride, and they want to relax and chat about the ride over a cold beer,” Steffen says. — kitaen jones
509 N. Hollywood St. (901-871-2453)
