Tria Taproom Happy Hour

We love a good cocktail and a good happy hour- lucky for all of us Tria Taproom launched Taproom Cocktails last month.  The bar and restaurant is now offering four custom-blended cocktails, made from artisan spirits and fresh juices, on draft! It’s the first time that any Tria has ventured outside their typical offerings of draft wine and beer.Taproom cocktails are guided by their company-wide mission of serving exceptionally high-quality products in a friendly, educational, unpretentious setting. Mixologist Marshall Altier of New York’s Spirit House Consultants, helped the Tria Taproom team design these four cocktail recipes, based on classic tipples and made from fine spirits and fresh juices.

After a precise adjustment to their draft lines, overseen by Anton Baranenko of Draft Choice, the four cocktails were kegged and will be poured for the first time this spring. Baranenko, who installed Taproom’s draft lines ahead of their 2013 opening, carefully calibrated the CO2 levels to match each drink’s ingredients: the texture of a shaken drink for one, for example, and a stirred drink for another.

We began with the Oaxaca Old Fashioned, made with immarón Reposado tequila with Vicío Mezcal Blanco, amber agave nectar and Angostura bitters, served “stirred” and garnished with an orange peel. While also trying the Sparkling Vesper made with Bluecoat gin and Stateside vodka with Cocchi Americano and lemon oleo saccharum, served “fizzy” and garnished with a lemon peel.

Tria Taproom’s 100-Mile Happy Hour is offered weekdays from 4 – 7 pm. It highlights beverages produced within 100 miles of Philadelphia. With 40 draft lines the bar proudly now pours cocktails, beers, wines, kombucha, and ciders on draft. These beverages are complemented by a menu of fun, beer-friendly $5 bar bites from Chef Jared Cannon and Chef de Cuisine Todd Van Wagner.

We started off with an order of the signature taproom “Fries” which are actually smashed fingerling potatoes coated with a dollop of truffle-Taleggio fonduta. This rich and creamy snack is the prefect prelude to some strong drinks. We also enjoyed the lighter Island Creek Oysters three on the half shell with pickled fennel relish. The Baba Ghanoush is one of the featured $5 bar bite specials we like along with Pretzel Bites, Salmon Spring Rolls, Cheese Plate, or Stuffed Olives. 

Our second round of cocktails were our favorite. We loved the presentation as well as flavor of both. The Black ’n Stormy is made with Cruzan Black Strap rum with organic ginger simple syrup, Pickett’s American Craft Hot ’n Spicy Ginger Beer and Persian lime juice, served “fizzy” and garnished with a lime wedge and ginger candy. The colorful Continental Sour is made with Kinsey rye with lemon and cane sugar, topped with a Claret float, garnished with a lemon wedge. With the recent warm weather we also couldn’t resist an order of the Saison-Battered Mahi Tacos madew with pico de gallo, salsa verde, and pickled cabbage.

For something a bit more substantail- if you’re always hungry like we are, try the popular Beer Burger topped with Chimay cheese, beer pickles, and beer-naise sauce. We also are a big fan of the flatbreads made in Tria’s wood-fired oven. Pictured is the Kennett Square with fontina, wild mushrooms, zucchini, red onion, red pepper flakes, and truffle purée. Tria Taproom guests can enjoy these dishes while dining at the bar, indoor tables, or outside. Delivery is also offered on a limited menu via Caviar.

“Our guests know that they can visit us anytime for the best small-batch, artisanal representations of the ‘fermentation trio’ of wine, cheese and beer, and we approached our first cocktails in the same way,” says owner Jon Myerow. “Pouring them on draft at Tria Taproom gives us the utmost control over our product: every cocktail is perfectly proportioned to taste great and showcase the artful spirits and fresh juices that give them their distinctive flavors.”