Aria Sun

I was at my local bar / restaurant last weekend, The Spot in La Jolla, and was interested to hear the conversation between the bartender and one of the customers. The customer was, of course, lamenting the fall in the stock market, the state of the economy, the bailout and how bad life was in general, and the bartender replied that in these times his business improved dramatically, and I had read in the New York Times that many of the bars around Wall Street were, not surprisingly, busier than usual.

The article I had read indicated that most people were drinking beer, but when I researched the cocktail of choice for the well-heeled, moneyed New Yorkers, I found the ideal bar with the ideal drink in Boston, Massachusetts.

Aria, a sophisticated, sexy lounge club, has become the meeting place for wealthy New Yorkers and New England aristocracy. It is situated in the basement of the Wilbur Theater in the heart of Boston's theater district. I read about this club in the book, Signature Cocktails by Bill Tikos (thecoolhunter), and it was described as decadent, plush and glamorous, but other reviews I have read online have been less flattering. One thing they all agree on is that fashion is foremost and you have to have the "look" to get through the velvet rope.

To create your own Aria signature cocktail, the Aria Sun, you don't have to do anything too fancy (see below), and it would definitely pass the Sex in the City test!

Aria Sun
Ingredients

• 1 fl ounce vodka
• 1/2 fl ounce grenadine
• 2 fl ounces cranberry juice
• 1 lemon
  

Method

1. Pour the vodka, grenadine, and cranberry juice into a shaker.
2. Squeeze in fresh lemon juice to taste.
3. Shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass.
4. Garnish with a twist of lemon.