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| - A good Caipirinha in Madison Wisconsin?! That's exactly the type of reaction you should have at Merchant - one of the best cocktail bars I've ever been to. In the WORLD. It's mostly because the cocktails are inventive, tasty, done right and also super reasonable. The quality of drinks here would be $15 - $20 in NYC, London or Toronto, but instead they are a nice $9 or $6 during HH.
I came on the recommendation of a friend who raves about the bar. She was spot on. The bartenders know what they're doing and can make you anything you want. The cocktail list is exhaustive, so here are some of my recommendations:
- Para Todo Bien - who knew Reposado and maple syrup were a duo?
- Reconstructed Cup - a Pimm's Cup without all that British dry bitterness
- Yerbatero - Caipirinha with Yerba Mate syrup takes your taste buds for a ride
- Bartender's Choice - whatever they feel like making you, or what you want. It turns out I told them that I love St. Germain and Aperol, which ended up being the Champagne Cola on the menu
I'd recommend checking their Facebook/Twitter for specials. We happened to miss the $3 punch on Mondays. The punches were pretty epic and bubbly, exactly what I love!
I give it 4 stars because the food was so-so, unfortunately. Burger, salad, mussels, tartare, uneventful. The cheese curds were better than average, and massive. Like big pillowly hockey pucks of cheese. My advice? Eat at home, and come here to get your Don Draper drink on!
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