Iconic craft cocktails of Midcoast Maine

Name: Camden Hike

Crafted by: Tom Laslavic, Natalie’s Bar & Restaurant, Camden

Characteristics: Locally produced Cold River vodka mixed with a puree of native blueberries, blackberries, black currents and a syrup of Maine wild flower honey.

Notable: Camden Hike was featured in the 2012 book, The American Cocktail.

Full story: What’s in that cocktail?

Name: Fromviandoux Flash

Crafted by: Mac McGaw, Fromviandoux, Camden

Characteristics: Vodka mixed with Lillet Blanc, an ounce of cucumber juice, a half-ounce of lemon juice, and a half-ounce of simple syrup.

Notable: The Fromviandoux Flash was created as a “one-off” for a cash mob after party. Cash is green and so, the drink had to be green as well.

Full story: What’s in that cocktail?

Name: Love Zombie

Crafted by: Mike Bumiller, FOG Bar & Cafe, Rockland

Characteristics: Made with rum, brown sugar and equal parts lime and lemon. The added passion fruit is actually the tart balance to the sweetness of the rums in the drink.

Notable: Made for Valentine’s Day, the special sugar garnish FOG’s pastry chef makes for this drink looks like a heart-shaped icicle.

Full story: What’s in that cocktail?

Name: Snow White's Poisoned Appletini

Crafted by: Shane Davis, The Slipway, Thomaston

Characteristics: Maker's Mark bourbon is muddled an apple, basil leaves, a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of raw or brown sugar and two dashes of bitters. After muddling, add Maine Root ginger beer.

Notable: It has an earthy, textured taste, coated with a graham cracker rim, perfect for autumn.

Full story: What’s in that cocktail?

Name: Cranberry Compass Rose

Crafted by: Stacy Campbell, Archer’s On The Pier, Rockland

Characteristics: Made with fresh Maine cranberries, Hendrick’s Gin and St. Germaine liqueur. Added with a simple syrup made from boiled down cranberries from Moody Farm Cranberry Bog in Lincolnville, just after peak harvest season.

Notable: Another wonderful autumn or holiday drink with juices and simply syrups all made from scratch

Full story: What’s in that cocktail?

Name: Death In The Afternoon

Crafted by: Jon Poto, The Gothic, Belfast

Characteristics: Made with absinthe and Cointreau, topped with Cava or sparking wine.

Notable: The cocktail was inspired by Ernest Hemingway, who wrote a 1932 nonfiction book of the same title.

Full story: What’s in that cocktail?

Name: Armageddon

Crafted by: Colleen Wellman, The Smokestack Grill, Camden.

Characteristics: Designed for a maximum sweetness, this drink includes Raspberry vodka, Souther Comfort, and Peach Schnapps topped with equal parts cranberry juice and orange juice.

Notable: Made especially for their “End of the World” party, the end result is a persimmon-colored drink that tastes like a Jolly Rancher hard candy.

Full story: What’s in that cocktail?

Name: The 207 Sour

Crafted by: Seth Knowlton, Natalie’s Restaurant, Camden

Characteristics: This is a sour martini made with Applejack (a whiskey made from apples), along with a sharbat (a homemade concoction of Red Delicious apple peels marinated with lemon).

Notable: The sour notes in the martini don’t come from any commercial sour mix, but instead, from a complex layer of lemon juice, a deep apple flavor and the tang from the balsamic vinegar in the sharbat.

Full story: What’s in that cocktail?

Name: The Spicy Mango Margarita

Crafted by: Shelly Trisch, La Vida, Belfast

Characteristics: Made with fresh puréed mango and a house tequila infused with Habenero peppers.

Notable: This cocktail was a major hit on Cinco de Mayo, so much so, that they ran out.

Full story: What’s in that cocktail?

Name: Belfast Orchard

Crafted by: Shawna Aitken, Delvino’s Grill and Pasta House, Belfast

Characteristics: Made with any top-shelf organic vodka, peach purée, freshly squeezed orange juice and Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur.

Notable: Despite its name, this cocktail doesn’t have any apples in it. Rather, it’s redolent of blood oranges.

Full story: What’s in that cocktail?

Name: A Bad Decision

Crafted by: Molly Miller Staples,The Landings, Rockland

Characteristics: This fruity, refreshing spin on the blueberry martini goes the extra mile with a light rim of tequila.

Notable: This particular cocktail was invented by one of their staff members who decided if one was going to make a bad decision over drinks, it might as well pack a wallop.

Full story: What’s in that cocktail?

Name: The Eggnog Winter Sherry Flip

Crafted by: Clementina Senatore, co-owner and chef of Meanwhile In Belfast

Characteristics: This slightly sweet, coolly fresh homemade egg nog cocktail is ideal for brunch.

Notable: Made with from scratch egg nog, this cocktail is a perfect rum and sherry-infused drink for the holidays.

Full story: What’s in that cocktail?

Name: The Spiced Hot Buttered Rum Toddy

Crafted by: Shelly Crisch, Delvino’s Grill and Pasta House, Belfast

Characteristics: A frozen concoction made with vanilla ice cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter chilled in a small ramekin. This is a creamy and comforting drink, especially after a cold, blustery day outside, and the cool whipped cream topping with nutmeg blends well with the warmth of the melted butter and spiced rum.

Notable: “It’s like a hot chocolate, but an adult hot chocolate.”

Full story: What’s in that cocktail?

Name: Bad & Boozy

Crafted by: Dave Smith, The Block Saloon, Thomaston

Characteristics: A herbaceous, complex cool cocktail made from pureed cucumber, fresh squeezed lemon and sage simpe syrup that gives it its distinctive cloudy absinthe green color.

Notable: “Cucumber, sage and gin are amazing bedfellows—all three of them should get married.”

Full story: What’s in that cocktail?