It’s the signature bevvie because: “To be very frank with you, I think we serve the best Old Fashioned in Tampa Bay,” says bartender Justin Gray. First rule: No muddling. The practice of mashing up citrus fruits in the bottom of the glass harks back to Prohibition, says Gray, when the fruit was used to mask “the taste of cruddy booze.”
No such issue here; Anise uses small-batch Woodford Reserve bourbon as the main ingredient, plus simple syrup and two types of bitters, traditional and orange (the bar has a turntable full of different flavor bitters, including plum, chocolate and celery).
Gray’s final touch: he takes a thick twist of orange peel and rubs it on the lower half of the glass’s exterior so the scent of the oils wafts gently upward as the drinker sips. Garnish with a Luxardo cherry and you’ve got what Gray calls the quintessential cocktail. “It’s kind of how I gauge bartenders.”
The mastermind behind it: Anise's revered director of spirits, Ro Patel.
Ambience: Chic but welcoming. Designed by Jaime Rogers, the interior takes “global” to heart, with a multi-cultural photo collage, toile-patterned wallpaper, and love letters in several languages inscribed on a ledge in the bar.
Best time to go: Open till 3 a.m. Thursday-Saturday, it's packed on weekend nights. But as CL pointed out in last year’s Best of the Bay, Anise has proven to be a godsend for Straz-goers looking for pre- or post-show cocktails and nosh.
Don’t miss: The food. Owners Xuan and Kevin Hurt took the Korean street-food concept from their Stinky Bunz truck and elevated it to gourmet levels.
