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Wine Me, Dine Me

Where have all the warm alcoholic drinks gone? By Michael Stabile Whatever happened to grog and hot buttered rum and mulled wine and all the other temperate potables that were supposed to revive you on blustery winter days? Neither the Armani Cafe nor Neiman Marcus offers anything that resembled the warmed alcoholic concoctions of midcentury New England. In their stead, I suggest two alternatives (neither of which is coffee or hot cocoa). Campari, a bitter distillation with a slightly sweet licorice undertone, comes in a Christmas red hue all year round. It's bracing and palate-jogging and shocks your taste buds and your sense of style. What better to drink at the Armani Cafe? Also not a hot drink, Bloody Marys are good year round. The Rotunda offers one that is graced by prawns dangling over the side. Served with Absolute Peppar (a generous portion set to the side, so you can suit your own liver's needs), it provides so many nutrients and antioxidants that it's practically a smoothie. At the very least, it'll cure the morning headache. [ San Francisco | MetroActive Central | Archives ]