August Frank/Inland 360
From left, the Peppermint Paddilac, Eggbeater with a Heater and Boots with the Fir are among the holiday drinks at The Drinky Box in Clarkston.
The holidays: so magical for children and so frenzied for adults. We took a break (well, several breaks) from the demands of the season to sample just a few of the copious winter beverage offerings in the region. Here’s to slowing down and savoring the moment. Cheers.
The Drinky Box, 416 Fifth St., Clarkston
The holiday drinks menu at The Drinky Box delivers both the clever names and thoughtful flavor combinations this new venue quickly became known for.
August Frank/Inland 360
Toasting with holiday drinks the Peppermint Paddilac and Eggbeater with a Heater at The Drinky Box Friday in Clarkston.
With eight seasonal options, four hot and four cold, there’s something f or every taste. Our crew sipped the Eggbeater with a Heater (eggnog lovers rejoice), $10; Boots with the Fir (creamy notes of apple, walnut and brown sugar), $11; and Peppermint Paddilac (our peppermint mocha lover declared it divine), $10.
Also tempting were the Claus-Mopolitan, Sleigh Queen and The “Elf Word,” which just means we’ll have to go back before Christmas, after which the bar’s seasonal drinks — and lavish holiday decor — will disappear.
Tapped Taphouse & Kitchen, 210 S. Main St., Moscow, and 524 Main St., Lewiston
Not everyone craves a cocktail, of course. Tapped Taphouse & Kitchen’s two locations offer a plethora of choices for the brewed beverage connoisseurs among us.
Mary Stone/Inland 360
Ginger lemon kombucha, left, and Snowglobe cider are served at Tapped in Moscow.
And if there’s a nondrinker in your group, the ginger lemon kombucha from Moscow’s Bare Culture, $5.50/10 ounces, delivers a satisfying zing without the alcohol.
Mary Stone/Inland 360
Hot buttered rum and a gingerbread martini are on the holiday drinks menu at Sauté on 6th in Clarkston.
Sauté on 6th, 900 Sixth St., Clarkston
You’ll have to be swift to catch the winter drinks at Sauté on 6th, which will be closed for a holiday hiatus Dec. 17-28. It’s worth the effort to get there in the next few nights, though.
Sauté, known for its upscale food and swoonworthy specials, doesn’t miss with its seasonal drinks: The hot buttered rum, a holiday staple, is appropriately cozy, but it’s the gingerbread martini that steals the show, both $12. A diminutive gingerbread person cookie floats in a sweet and spicy blend of vodka, Kahlúa, Baileys Irish Cream, gingerbread syrup and cinnamon.
Mary Stone/Inland 360
Inland 360 mascot Inez the squirrel sips Grinch on the Beach and Hittin the Slopes at John’s Alley in Moscow.
John’s Alley Tavern, 114 E. Sixth St., Moscow
The winter menu at John’s Alley in Moscow sports playfully named cocktails that pack a p unch.
The downtown bar and music venue boasts half a dozen hard alcohol creations, several in vibrant hues, including the appropriately green Grinch on the Beach (thanks to melon liqueur), $5, bright blue Hittin the Slopes (with blue Curaçao), $4.25, and Yellow Snow (an array of vodkas and mixers, topped with Tropical Red Bull), $5.
Stone (she/her) likes a night out with friends more than the drinks themselves. She can be reached at mstone@inland360.com.
