To those who may be concerned: I am over 21 years old! I’ve lived in Boulder for about seven months now, and in that time, I’ve been able to go try out drinks at a lot of hot spots in town. Here are some of the drinks I’ve gotten and my rating of each drink on a scale of 1 to 10.
Man-berry Margarita
This magnificent margarita is from Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant. The name “man-berry” is a nickname for the combination of mango and strawberry flavors, and this margarita is definitely best served frozen. I also prefer salt around the rim instead of sugar because I love the contrast of salty and sweet, and while the tequila is definitely high quality, the salt helps take the edge off. Literally only one of these gets me tipsy, so I rate the man-berry margarita a 10 out of 10.
Spiked Milkshake
First of all, there aren’t even any Birdcalls where I’m from (tragic, I know), and second of all, I didn’t even realize that there is an option to spike your milkshakes at Birdcall until last week. While there are a few different options for milkshake flavors, I’ve only tried the classic chocolate shake with vodka. It almost tastes exactly the same, but with a little kick at the end of each sip. I do like this drink and think it’s fun, but I’d almost rather order without the vodka to save three dollars, especially if I don’t really get much of a buzz out of it. I rate the spiked milkshake a 5 out of 10.
Paloma Fresca
Bartaco is one of my favorite restaurants in Boulder, and its drink menu is no exception. Their house margarita is an obvious choice; however, I really like that this is a grapefruit-centric beverage. Weirdly enough, this drink is topped with club soda and I’m not a big fan of carbonation, but I think the fresh grapefruit juice really curbs the extreme carbonation of club soda and I can still enjoy it. All in all, this drink gets an 8 out of 10 from me.
Palomimosa
The Palomimosa, curated at Snooze Eatery, is just what it sounds like, and it’s a combination of two other drinks I already have listed. I really enjoy citrus-y drinks of all kinds, so a drink that mixed grapefruit juice and orange juice with a splash of lime juice totally made my mouth water. Unfortunately, because it is only one serving of two drinks combined, the amount of alcohol that is normally in each drink individually is a smaller serving when the Paloma and mimosa are mixed. Because of this, the Palomimosa also gets an 8 out of 10.
Mora Mojito
Rosetta Hall is beautiful inside, and the specialty drinks definitely match the vibe. The Mora Mojito is a rum-based drink, which feels more adult compared to the usual vodka-based drink in this college town. I feel like blackberry is not a very common flavor in a lot of drinks, and combined with the mint syrup that makes a mojito a mojito, this drink is almost perfect. My only complaint is that it’s small, so maybe I should learn to make this at home! This drink gets a 9.5 out of 10.
Frozen Pink Whitney Lemonade
Ahh, the perfect drink. Frozen? Fun and delicious. Pink Whitney? More tolerable than most liquors. Lemonade? Quite possibly my favorite beverage ever. The combination of the three makes the perfect drink for a night out at Avanti on Pearl Street. I don’t know about you, but I can definitely appreciate a drink that doesn’t actually taste like alcohol. With all these positive attributes in mind, this drink gets a 10 out of 10 in my book!
Mimosa Tower
The name says it all, and who wouldn’t want a tower full of mimosa? Not only is the quality of the mimosas simply amazing, but My Neighbor Felix also gives CU Boulder students a $10 discount on the mimosa tower. It does need to be shared by a minimum of three people, but I went here for my birthday with three friends and there was more than enough for all of us to get, well, “tipsy,” if you’re picking up what I’m putting down. The mimosa tower is definitely the perfect brunch drink, and I will also rate it a 10 out of 10.
I can be pretty picky about what I want to drink, whether I’m going out for a night on the town or meeting up with some friends for brunch. Luckily, Boulder has a plethora of restaurants and bars and I’ve been able to try out a lot of different beverages before narrowing it down to some go-to selections. I’ll be on the hunt for some more 10 out of 10s!