As if CL Food Critic Jon Palmer Claridge’s four-star review of Steelbach wasn’t enough, the Armature Works restaurant features this one cocktail — this one glorious cocktail with a name that references Twin Peaks.
Unfortunately, after you take your first sip of the $12 “house original,” Steelbach doesn’t transform its buzzing Tampa Heights digs into the sleepy Pacific Northwestern town depicted in David Lynch and Mark Frost’s moody murder mystery. But, hey, local folks who are keeping the cult following behind the strange and charming ride that is the TV series alive can dream.
And wait till I tell you what the cocktail’s called.
First things first, though: I stopped by Steelbach for brunch with two friends over the weekend and thought I was gonna order one of the restaurant’s intriguing-looking Infused Duos. But those combinations of two spirits, which the staff lovingly infuse tableside, are really meant for sharing — hence the $50 price tag. My company wasn’t into it (mostly because we wanted to split two orders of biscuits much, much more), and that meant I had to rethink my adult beverage of choice.
Then I saw it: Sometimes My Arms Bend Back.
Sometimes My Arms Bend Back is a beautiful, thoughtful mix of Bacardí Superior, Averna Amaro, Banane du Brésil, egg white, lemon and Angostura bitters. Its name, of course, is a nod to the exchange that takes place in the Red Room between an older Special Agent Dale Cooper and a woman who’s the spitting image of Laura Palmer (check out the video above).
The cocktail itself is everything you want in a day drink — light and refreshing, but creamy and complex, too — not to mention versatile enough for anytime sipping. I dare you to try and order just one. Even if you typically don’t like egg white with your booze.
“While I didn’t plan on ordering a drink other than water, I noticed an oddly named cocktail ‘Sometimes My Arms Bend Back’ contained egg white,” wrote one Yelp reviewer of the Steelbach selection. “I’ve never had a cocktail with egg white that I didn’t love, and this one was no exception. Honestly, it’s one of the best cocktails I’ve had in Tampa Bay!”
I couldn’t agree more. Also, is it just me or does Sometimes My Arms Bend Back’s elegant garnish look like two arms? A banana chip head? Well, no, maybe not a head.
Either way, Steelbach, we appreciate you. Keep the references coming.
This article appears in Apr 19-26, 2018.