Philly’s Most Legendary Signature Cocktails
All of the best Philly-defining cocktails, from Fish House Punch to Skoolkil Wooder.
Fishtown Iced Tea at Interstate Drafthouse / Photography by Patterson Watkins
Classic boozy combinations, local brewskis, teas that aren’t really teas, remixed historical punches, drinks with cotton candy toppers, drinks with wooder ice, drinks with ice cream, and even drinks served in bags. This is all really starting to sound like a throwaway line from ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ but, no: This is our thirst-inducing collection of Philadelphia’s best signature drinks.
Fishtown Iced Tea at Interstate Drafthouse, Fishtown
Although the format has changed (it’s no longer served in an Arctic Splash carton), the essence remains the same: a vodka, rum, tequila, and triple sec spiked drink with those oh-so-nostalgic natural tea and lemon flavors. Leave it to Philly to snatch the ‘Long Island’ right out of your mouth with a tea-ish cocktail like this. I love it for all that the Fishtown Iced Tea is. Consider the cans a new era of bringing it to the Philly masses with a get-off-my-stoop Twisted Tea energy. 1235 East Palmer Street.
OGnT at Philadelphia Distilling, Northern Liberties
Philadelphia Distilling is our O.G. craft distillery (or, our first city-born distillery since Prohibition). From that, we were gifted with the creation of Bluecoat American Dry Gin. Fast forward 10 years later, and we were able to plop ourselves in a tasting room to sip and savor, while simultaneously seeing how the sausage is made. The OGnT is apt: A gin and tonic that’s perfectly simple, classic, refreshing, and made with so much Philly pride. 25 East Allen Street.
Fish House Punch at The Olde Bar, Old City
Want to imbibe in the style of George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette? Pull up a stool at The Olde Bar and order the Fish House Punch. This popular pre-Revolutionary-inspired punch is crafted using dark rum, light rum, brandy, black tea, fresh peaches, and lemon. We’re talking historical origins dating back to the 1740s, people! I’m not going to dive deep into all that boozy history, but if this punch got these Founding Fathers through, I’m sure it will refresh and revive whatever is ailing you. 125 Walnut Street.
Clover Club at Next of Kin
Clover Club at Next of Kin, Fishtown
This new kid is shaking up one of our city’s most classic cocktails. The original Clover Club was a silky-sour, raspberry and gin concoction whipped up for stuffy, members-only 1880s rich white guys. Next of Kin’s Clover Club is a modern, silky-sour, raspberry, and gin libation whipped up for the cool kids (of legal drinking age) hanging out on Frankford Avenue. Oh, how the cocktail tables have turned. 1414 Frankford Avenue.
Futuro at Dock Street Brewing, Point Breeze
Futuro is a local craft beer brewed with a mix of Philadelphia’s historic immigrant culture. It’s a tasty merger of Italian-style hoppiness and mellow German malt, creating this crisp, clean, and well-balanced Pilsner. The Futuro is a fizzy-fun and easy-sipping beer, made in our city’s first craft brewery (est. 1985). What makes this beer doubly fun is that it was created as an ode to the brewery’s female founder, Rosemarie Certo. An Italian immigrant and pioneer, she was like a Rosie the Riveter of the early craft-beer movement. Go on with your bad self, Rosemarie! 2118 Washington Avenue.
Drinks-to-go from any corner store in Philly that sells ABV bevies
Friends, I remember a time — you remember a time — when we lived in this alcoholic beverage sort of desert. If you weren’t going to a bar to get a bevie, your only options were either the distributor or PLCB shop, where you had to buy in quantity, or the corner store, where all your drinkable needs were met in single-serve perfection (sometimes with a hoagie). In today’s world, we can pick up qualifying ABV bottles and cans at Acme. Heck, there are even some Wawas offering them up nowadays. But we shouldn’t neglect the establishments that served us through those darker times. Visit your old friends down at the corner store, grab a bottle or can, and revel in the fact that they are still bagged in paper. (Those paper bags weren’t fooling anybody then, and they aren’t fooling now.)
Skookil Wooder at Pentridge Station, Southwest Philly
The fantastic crew behind Dahlak, along with some good-hearted folks in West Philly transformed a derelict lot into a pop-up beer garden oasis. In addition to the family- and dog-friendly atmosphere, you’ll find a refreshing and diverse mix of beer, wine, and cocktails. Most notably, (and I have been patiently waiting for someone to do this) a boozy water-ice cocktail. Skookil Wooder combines bourbon, lemonade, lime, frozen berries, and water ice together in thirst-quenching, beat-the-heat harmony. Single-serve or bucket-sized, you know, for sharing *wink, wink*. 5110-5120 Pentridge Street.
Fun Bag at Garage
Fun Bags at Garage, Fishtown and East Passyunk
What is it about drinking out of a pouch? Is it some nostalgic, Capri-Sun, Pavlovian mental response? Possibly, yes. You might need to sip on another Fun Bag to suss this out further. When I bellied up to Passyunk’s Garage outpost and procured a Fun Bag, I was pleasantly greeted with two options: red or blue. As someone who vehemently would like to escape the Matrix, I chose red. The sweet, tart, surprisingly bubbly drink-in-a-bag made me feel like I was at some South Philly Tupperware party (and having the time of my life). There are cases on cases on cases of beer options at the Garage. For me, even as a beer aficionado, I’m going to treat myself to a Fun Bag. 100 East Girard Avenue and 1231 East Passyunk Avenue.
Bassetts Ice Cream Boozy Milkshakes at Thirsty Dice, Fairmount
In the same way Pentridge Station has remixed the frozen cocktail with their creative use of water ice, Thirsty Dice pulled a Philly Special with their booze-spiked Bassetts ice cream milkshakes. The milkshake menu is full of winners, but definitely pay special attention to the Ice Cream Colada. This milkshake stunner is a blend of mango-apricot sorbet, banana ice cream, peach ice cream, and Malibu rum. If the board game runneth into extra innings, check out the frappucino milkshake made with Kahlua, iced coffee, Guatemalan ripple ice cream, and whipped cream. 1642 Fairmount Avenue.
Cosmo Cloud at Tattooed Mom, Queen Village
Tattooed Mom is a good time. Their cotton candy cosmo concoction, the Cosmo Cloud is a carnival sideshow in its own right. It is a saccharine-sweet joy ride of vodka, fresh lime juice, cranberry, and a pink strawberry cotton-candy topper. It’s also a showstopper of a drink, catching the glances of everyone in the vicinity. Making grown adults stop playing with their bucket of bar toys and take notice — that’s no small feat for a cocktail. 530 South Street.
Spaghett at Kelliann’s Bar & Grill, Spring Garden
Transcended! I had this drink two months ago, and I still can’t stop talking about it. I know to some, the combination of Miller High Life, Aperol, and fresh lime might be a known cocktail. To me, having the Spaghett (that’s correct, Spaghett sans the ‘i’) for the first time was absolute magic. That tart-bittering element of the Aperol, poured into the malty-sweet MHL, with just that little squeeze of lime … I’m thirsty for it all over again. The vivaciously raucous environs of Kelliann’s just enhanced the whole Spaghett experience. Let me know when you go; I’ll for sure join. 1549 Spring Garden Street.
