28 distiller
Napa County
The Charter Oak, St. Helena (Napa)
What was an interesting, creative cocktail menu for
Napa Valley is now in abbreviated, straightforward
bottled cocktail mode during pandemic (think bot-
tled spritzes and mimosas). But being from the team
behind Christopher Kostow's three Michelin-starred e
Restaurant at Meadowood, the Charter Oak's elevated
hearth-fired dishes are met with, yes, common cocktails
but elevated. Case in point, the clarified margarita (in
regular and spicy versions), mixing reposado tequila,
Clement Creole Shrubb, lime and citrus sherbet with
habañero tincture if you go spicy. We look forward to
a full bar return, but this margarita and other bottled
cocktails taste damn good in their gorgeous outdoor gar-
den. thecharteroak.com
Miminashi, Napa
Downtown Napa's modern Japanese izakaya offers
takeout and outdoor dining serving chawanmushi, bin-
chotan-grilled corn, Japanese-inspired small plates and
noodle dishes, while also continuing their cocktails, sake
and beers. eir cocktails veer toward classic with a twist
or Asian influence. ink a Bee's Knees variation (clev-
erly named Bees Sneeze) with white pepper, fennel pollen
and yellow Chartreuse. Or the Stone Fizz with plum-in-
fused vodka with peach and apricot cordial, lime, orange
bitters and yuzu soda. miminashi.com
