How often do people say of a couture cocktail that it is too pretty to drink – but then they go ahead and down it anyway? Well, catch the right lighting and the Lavender Citrus Spritz at Oystertown shimmers like amethyst.
“I didn’t know I was a mixologist,” Oystertown General Manager Monica Schweiger says with a chuckle.
The brisk bite of citrus is mellowed by lavender-infused simple syrup, its sweetness in turn eased by lemonade, made in-house. The sip is deftly balanced, with a gentle floral note and a soft ripple of effervescence that brings a hint of minerality when the drink is finished with prosecco or a touch of salinity in the non-alcoholic sparkling water version. Either way, there is a depth of flavor to what is otherwise a simple and refreshing cocktail.
Yes, you will cave in and finish the drink, despite its gem-like sparkle. And as you do, the richness of the purple may puzzle you. Lavender is a much more delicate shade.
Well, a dip of blue butterfly pea flower tea accounts for the spritz’s dazzling hue. When stirred with citrus, the inviting azure of the tea deepens into a regal purple – a bold color that leaves you ill-prepared for the soft strokes of lavender in the flavor profile.
It’s a clever cocktail, one of two spritzes on the Oystertown menu. The bespoke little restaurant does a lot with a little, and that extends to its brief list of house-made drinks.