Enjoyed: Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Listed on the menu: No, but the bar promotes its “prohibition style handcrafted cocktails” so the bartender was comfortable with my request.

Ingredients: H & H bourbon, house-made demerara syrup, angostura bitters, orange bitters

The occasion: Husband and I chose Baltimore and Annapolis for this year’s pre-holiday get-away, our tradition since 2015. We booked a room overlooking Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and this unique bar was just a few blocks away. We needed to punch in a code (clues were provided online) to gain access to the sixth floor, which was fun. The clocks hanging all around us were a tribute to the jewelry and watch repair business which once occupied the space.

My rating: *** out of 5. I was not familiar with the “H & H”, and I should have asked for more details. A later internet search showed a few options–did I have the Canadian whiskey, or the one made in Asheville, NC, or a type of Heaven Hill? Regardless, the drink was satisfying and just sweet enough, and the predictable notes of vanilla and caramel were indeed there, but not much else.

Final thoughts: Later that chilly evening, we shopped and ate at the nearby German-style Christmas market. We ended the day by traveling to the Hampden neighborhood to see “Miracle on 34th Street”–each and every row house on the block was decorated from top to bottom with holiday lights. Apparently this was the 77th year of the event, and wow! The nostalgia! Baltimore was a blast, but we had even more fun the next evening in historic downtown Annapolis: seafood for supper, a concert by Los Lobos, and shopping until 11:30 PM, since the stores were open extra-late. Bring on Christmas! We are in the mood!