Mondays

Yesterday I went to check out Martini Mondays at the Four Seasons. It's their weekly happy hour that runs from 5:30-7:30. For $13, you get a specialty cocktail and a "taste sampler" of three little snacks. Though usually there is something meaty in one of the samples, I lucked out and they were all vegetarian last night. There was an apple salad, a pomegranate salad, and little potato skins- all delicious. The drinks are normally $13 apiece so this is a bargain and besides, it's always a pleasure to drink at the Four Seasons.

I decided to go seasonal and started with the spiced pumpkin martini. It was made with Skye vodka, Captain Morgan's spiced rum, and muddled pumpkin, served in a martini glass with a sugared rim. It was quite tasty, and served with a side of pumpkin seeds. The muddled pumpkin gives the drink a creamy character which is good, though by the end of the drink I was ready to move on.

So I did. I next sampled the Buddha Drop, which is a refreshing and not-too-sweet cucumber/melon martini served with a shot of sake that you can either drink on its own (as I did) or add to the martini. This is the drink I'll have next time I return.

Finally, I had a drink called something like (I really need to write these things down) the Ice Melt martini. It's vodka with ice wine (( īs ' wīn ' ) n. A sweet wine made from grapes that have been left to freeze on the vines) and a few other flavors. Also delicious, as you taste the sweet flavor from the wine after that of the vodka. The ice wine mostly sits at the bottom of the glass, so the drink becomes sweeter as you finish it. All the specialty drinks at the Four Seasons are served with a little side of something. This one came with frozen grapes to snack on.

You people who work downtown should check out this weekly happy hour. It's something to look forward to on Mondays, and makes the start of the work week seem not so bad.