Long Island cocktails to go bring novelty to restaurant takeout

Can one find love in the middle of a pandemic? I’ll start: I’m in low-key love with the newly-born bottled cocktails that can now be tacked on to restaurant takeout orders, something that hadn’t been on anyone's radar just over a month ago. 

So far, I’ve worked my way through a few: The fruity, marigold-hued Babylon Express, a blend of vodka, St.-Germain, pineapple and lime from Teller’s in Islip. The clear, gently sweet lemongrass negroni from Bakuto in Lindenhurst, delivered along with a kimchi-topped Tokyo dog. A tart, tequila-and-blood orange cocktail the color of a fiery sunset, called Immunity’s Finest, from Blackbird in Wantagh, a foil for the spicy jerk chicken that chef Chris Perrotta was plating that night. 

When restaurants were shuttered on March 16, the state’s liquor authority dangled a potential business-saving carrot — the green light to sell cocktails, wine and beer for takeout and delivery, provided customers also order food. It was a first for New York, and whether or not the practice is kept in place once coronavirus subsides, cocktailians now have a rainbow of drinks at their disposal — at least at those restaurants still doing takeout — from maple manhattans to tiki drinks to pomegranate martinis.

WHAT YOU'LL GET 

These mostly come in sealed glass or plastic bottles, though a few are delivered in those plastic containers used for soup. Though the bottles themselves can look petite, like those fresh juices you find in a supermarket produce department, each harbors enough for two to four people, and carry price tags to reflect that. Most are intended to be decanted straight over ice, though I stirred a few in a shaker and poured into a chilled coupe glass, too. 

Above all, if you’re a drinker, buying one is a way to support restaurants’ resilience and creativity during a most stressful time. “We’ve all been in the industry, and worked under hardship before, such as during Hurricane Sandy,” said Patrick Capellini, beverage director at Bakuto. “Things happen and you adapt.”

Here are five spots where you will find bottles (or in one case, pouches) of cocktails to go.

Blackbird Kitchen & Cocktails (3026 Merrick Rd., Wantagh): Chef Chris Perrotta’s innovative Wantagh bistro is still firing on all cylinders (with the exception of dine-in). As the chef continues to turn out his masterly pastas, luxe burger and specials for curbside delivery, beverage director Elizabeth Donahue bottles things such as tequila-and-mezcal old fashioneds and a Fernet-laced Long Island Iced Tea. (If you’re feeling spring fever, go for the Immunity’s Finest, which combines blanco tequila with blood orange, vanilla and lime). The drinks are decanted into plastic bottles that serve two or three people, for $20 to $30. More info: 516-654-9200, blackbirdli.com

Teller’s (605 Main St., Islip): Teller’s is currently serving as nexus for the South Shore restaurants of the Bohlsen Restaurant Group, and a drink that was on several of those menus, the Babylon Express, is the flagship for a new line of powerful bottled cocktails, intended to be served over ice. A blend of cucumber vodka, St.-Germain (an elderflower liquor), pineapple and lime juices, it’s fruitiness at its apogee. A $16-ounce bottle costs $36 and serves three to four people, while a 32-ounce “pitcher” is $58. More info: 631-277-7070, tellerschophouse.com

Bakuto (121 N. Wellwood Ave., Lindenhurst): At this months-old Lindenhurst izakaya, partner and beverage director Patrick Capellini has created a focused lineup of $12 bottled cocktails, such as the Penicillin (Japanese whiskey, Scotch, fresh ginger juice, lemon and honey), the Jasmine (gin, apple brandy, jasmine tea and umeboshi, plus lemon juice and club soda), the Spice (blanco tequila, Montenegro amaro, Aperol, lime juice and chili) and the Tiki (white rum, barrel-aged cachaça, Midori, and coconut milk). Capellini uses bottle, pop caps and a hand-cranked bottling machine procured from neighbor WA Meadwerks so that the drinks are shelf-stable, and as ingredients allow, pours specials such as a shochu-laced lemongrass negroni. More info: 631-225-1760, bakutobar.com

Restoration Kitchen & Cocktails (49 E. Hoffman Ave., Lindenhurst): Remember Capri Suns? Portable and easy to chill, they were the hallmark of many an '80s childhood. At Restoration Kitchen, the very same pouch-like delivery method is used for what owner Billy Miller calls “adult Capri suns." Every one of the 23 drinks on the menu — from blueberry-lemon Moscow Mules to lavender lemonade to rosemary-peach hard iced tea — are offered, for $10 each, though the old fashioneds decanted into Mason jars. “We wanted to be a little innovative and different,” said Miller, who owns the nearly two-year-restaurant. More info: 631-592-1905, restorationli.com

Salumi (5600 Merrick Rd., Massapequa): $8 cocktails from Salumi? Yes, please. While martinis, cosmos and margaritas pepper the bill, there are also superb transitional-weather cocktails such as Old Smoke (rye, mezcal, Laphroaig Scotch, mole bitters and demerara sugar) or a white Boulevardier made with bourbon, Suze and dry vermouth. An array of liquor (along the lines of WhistlePig rye and AD Four-Grain bourbon) is offered as 4-ounce pours and, while we’re at it, don’t overlook the craft beer or wine lists. More info: 516-620-0057, salumibarli.com