The Liquor Cabinet

Sisson Tea

Where: Sisson Tavern, 86 Sisson Avenue, Hartford
Ingredients: Twisted Tea, raspberry vodka, pineapple juice and sour mix
Cost: $10, serves two people

Before I get to how wonderful this drink tastes, let me tell you about how it looks. Served in a 32-oz. Mason jar, the alcoholic tea is chilled and poured over dry ice. When the liquid hits the bottom of the jar, smoke oozes from the top, resembling something dangerous and inedible that would be found in a high school science lab. The concoction is then poured into a pint glass over ice.

Never fear, this drink is 100% edible—well, drinkable, that is—but oh, is it dangerous! It tastes like you're drinking carbonated iced tea instead of an alcoholic drink. The ingredients blend so well that there are no overbearing flavors—be it the overly sweet raspberry of the vodka, the tangy taste of the sour mix or the fruity taste of the pineapple juice.

The Sisson Tea is one of three of the new Sisson Tavern's Sisson Signature Smoking Drinks. Try to say that 10 times fast! The "smoking" comes from the effect of the dry ice. And it most definitely is a signature drink, as I've never seen—or tasted!—anything like it before. The drink is good and so is the restaurant, which opened in mid-December and is full of inexpensive but tasty drinks and eats. Sisson Tavern is a place to come for a laid-back meal in a cozy, yet sporty, bar atmosphere. I'd definitely go back, even if just for more tea.