Come this winter, one of Downtown Burger At Five Point Cafe’s winter classic cocktails is getting a name change.
“A few years back, the former general manager was planning on developing an Irish-themed cocktail menu — [one that would flow better] with the Irish feel and aesthetic of what and who Five Points Cafe is,” says Ruy Alicea, general manager at Downtown Burger At Five Point Cafe in Sayville. “We hold very strong roots in the Irish community, as our owner James Rooney is of Irish descent. He chose the restaurant’s name and its entity to reflect his love, passion and connection to the original five points and Irish community.”
Many of the drinks on the restaurant’s original cocktail menu were “unique and fun,” Alicea says. One of cocktails on that menu was the Irish Kiss, which was popular among cafe guests, but it wasn’t the drink the team today wanted to represent the restaurant.
“We were looking for something that was more of our own signature cocktail, so we played with the recipe by changing juices and mixers,” he says. “We accidentally developed our own take on the Irish Kiss.”
An Irish Kiss calls for Irish whiskey, peach schnapps, ginger juice and orange juice. Combined, the cocktail “leaves you with a sweet, peachy aftertaste,” he says. But would happen if peach were swapped for raspberry?
“We took on the challenge of discovering something new, and we did,” Alicea says. “We called it the Downtown Winter Punch.”
Expected to be on the menu this winter, this twist on the Irish Kiss is made with Irish whiskey, raspberry puree, ginger juice and orange juice. Instead of a sweet, peachy aftertaste, the cocktail has a citrus and raspberry taste, and gives off “great notes from the Irish whiskey,” he says. While the name Downtown Winter Punch won’t be on the menu this coming winter, the same cocktail will be listed — just under another name.
“Over the years, the popularity of this drink has taken off,” Alicea says. “It has a very fall and winter feel, so when it came to this year’s winter cocktail menu, we decided to change the name one last time to the ‘Winter Classic,’ as it’s been with us now for eight years.”
