Each week, we order the same cocktail at two different bars for a friendly head-to-head battle. Go to the bars, taste both drinks and tell us what you like about each by tagging @pghcitypaper on Twitter or Instagram and using #CPBoozeBattles. If you want to be a part of Booze Battles, send an email to food-and-beverage writer Celine Roberts, at [email protected].
Bar Marco
2216 Penn Ave., Strip District
Drink: Corpse Reviver No. 2
Ingredients: Gin, Lillet Blanc, Cointreau, lemon juice, absinthe
Our take: Both high summer and the dead of winter are brightened by this classic with the name that says it all. With citrus season at its peak, the fresh lemon juice provides a tart kick to match the light bite of gin. Cointreau rounds out the cocktail with orange notes, and the drink finishes on notes of absinthe.
Vs.
The Abbey on Butler
4635 Butler St., Lawrenceville
Drink: Corpse Reviver No. 2
Ingredients: Faber gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc, absinthe, lemon juice
Our take: Absinthe’s anise flavors were bold in this cocktail, providing bitter balance to the tart notes of lemon and the gin’s juniper kick. Citrus was the lingering taste, backed by a lemon twist for aromatic appeal.
