The Fountain, Madison, 3/7/14

Location: The Fountain, Madison, WI
Web site: http://www.thefountainofmadison.com/
Points: 2.5
Fruit garnish: +.5
Cherry juice or grenadine: ?
Muddling: +1
Bitters: +.5
Brandy: +.5
Overall taste: 0





The Drink: Wow, this was a pretty drink. The fruit was properly muddled, and it was well-garnished. They used Korbel brandy. However, the overwhelming consensus from the 4 of us who had one was that it was SWEET. Too much 7-up.  Vicki couldn't taste the brandy, but others said they could a little bit.  It just did not have the right balance.

Tips for improvement: More brandy and bitters to balance the sweet.

Atmosphere: We were in the restaurant section which is nice.  There is a bar in this section as well, so we could see them making our drink. 

Experience: We were with 4 friends (Jane, Jonathan, Walter and Debbie).  Jane and Debbie tried the brandy old fashioned sweet and agreed with us that it was too sweet.  They were busy (Friday night) and we were crunched for time and they did a good job of getting us out on time.  The separate bar area here is nice too, though we didn't have time for a second drink there.  This was our first blog post venture with friends, and it was fun!

Paul's Club, Madison, WI 3/7/14

Location: Paul's Club, Madison, WI
Web site: Can't find one
Points: 4.25
Fruit garnish: +.25 for generous, muddled orange
Muddled: Yes!
Cherry juice or grenadine: 0
Bitters: +1
Brandy: +1 Korbel
Overall taste: +1
















The Drink: Yummy, yummy. This was good. A tad strong, but that is better than being too weak. They muddled the fruit with sugar and the bitters.  They also gave the drink a shake before pouring it into the glass. This was just about perfect.

Tips for improvement: none

Atmosphere: What can I say about Paul's Club. If I had not been going there for over 30 years, I might think it was the best bar ever.  But, it is not the same and it is not better.  Paul's Club is known for its oak tree and its coziness.  It was resurrected after a fire and they maintained the coziness.  But, in the last couple of years it moved (tree and all) to a new location that is bigger. It is now not as cozy.  But, if I didn't know all of this--nice bar.  We met a friend there and we had our own space with comfy chairs.

Experience: Well, we saw some bearded hipsters.  

Romanos, Evansville, WI 3/1/14

Location: Romanos, Evansville, WI
Web site: http://romanospizza-lounge.com/Romanos-Website/
Points: 2
Fruit garnish: +.5
Cherry juice or Grenadine: Grenadine, +.5
Muddling: 0
Bitters: 0
Brandy: +1
Overall taste: 0








The Drink: This drink did not work because a purchased old fashioned mix was used. That pretty much disqualifies the drink. There was no muddling. In addition to the mix, Grenadine was added. This made the drink way too sweet. Steve called it a "kiddy cocktail with brandy." We did not have a second one.

Tip for improvement: Make the drink from scratch.

Atmosphere: This is the nicest bar in Evansville. The bar itself is long with big, comfortable  seats.  There is additional cocktail style seating, but we like sitting at the bar.

Experience: The waitress was super friendly. This is a small-town bar after all, so we still had a nice time.  This Romanos makes great chocolate martinis and we love coming here with friends.