It's that time of year again, folks.
The weather's warming up, people are emerging from their cozy apartment cocoons and greeting the sunny skies with a sense of rebirth and reinvigoration -- summer is just around the corner.
As a child, there was nothing I loved more than chasing ice cream trucks as they drove, bells jingling through the streets to truly ring in the end of the school year. As an adult, however, I often find myself chasing shots more than ice pops when I'm in the mood to celebrate.
For those on the hunt for a happy medium between whimsy and booze, you're in luck: The Tuck Room in Fulton Market at the South Street Seaport in New York City offers a drink that both delights the senses and the child within us all. It's called the "Bandera Flight," and it is straight up fire. Like, literally.
When I first heard of the Bandera Flight, I was told that it was a deconstructed trio of drinks that combine to make one seriously scintillating cocktail, which was enough information for me to make the 40-minute commute from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to try it out.
The drink, which is the brainchild of acclaimed Mixologist Adam Seger, features a flight each of tequila, lime juice, and sangrita. The idea, as my server explained to me before the flights came out, is to drink each component one-by-one.
Nobody told me it would arrive looking as if it were on fire, though.
When the drink was delivered, smoking like a cauldron, to the table, I knew I was in for a treat. You can choose to begin tasting the flights while they're still emitting fumes, or do as I did and quickly whip out your phone for a quick social media post. (Did you catch the smoking Bandera Flight on Cooking Panda's Instagram story?)
First, I sampled the subtly spicy non-alcoholic sangrita, which in turn highlighted the acidic notes in the tequila. The peppery bite of the lime juice added a balanced finish, and acted as a refreshing palate cleanser so I was ready for round two.
The Tuck Room in New York offers a variety of different cocktails to sample, so don't miss this place (and ask about their liquid nitrogen bottle service if you, too, want to experience the magic of downing a smoking cocktail. Who needs a Dragon Frappuccino?).