Culinary WHIRLED /

Just Drinks
By Victoria Bradley  |  Photography by Megan Wylie

On your next first date, we suggest that you flirt over cocktails. We have the Cliff’s Notes for where to look for the best libations in town — and why they’re perfect for playing “getting to know you” this month. And it just may be that this is your last first date.

Hello, Yellow

This bright “Honeydew Cocktail” amps up the electricity of your dates, with Malibu rum, melon liqueur, and a squirt of pineapple juice. It sparks bright ideas and rousing conversation. Plus, the tart potion helps you to pucker up. $5 during happy hour.Café Euro, 600 Grant St., Downtown. 412.434.0800.

Martini Time

If your date orders a classic Manhattan— two lemon wedges shaken with sweet Vermouth and Woodford Reserve — you’re in for an evening of sublime sophistication. (The cherry on the rim makes it festive, don’t you think?) Cioppino, 2350 Railroad St., Strip District. 412.281.6593.

Bubbly

A flirty flute of Prosecco will make you feel prim and pretty, perched on your bar stool with stilettos slung over the rungs. But shake it up with citrus and hibiscus-infused tequila, and there’s something a little bit lewd about this libation. (P.S. The sugar-dipped orchid’s edible, but feel free to use it to accessorize.) Six Penn Kitchen, 146 Sixth  St., Downtown. 412.566.7366.

Ruby Sipper

This summer, my girlfriend and I made a date out of peeling fresh pomegranate on the porch until our fingers were a ravenous ruby red. To commemorate that sultry afternoon, we slink up to LeMont for pomegranate martinis, with Three Olives pomegranate vodka, pomegranate liqueur, pomegranate juice, and sours. The lops of fresh strawberry add a sinful sweetness. LeMont, 1114 Grandview Ave., Mt. Washington. 412.431.3100.



Daly Dose

It’s the John Daly, the alcoholic version of the Arnold Palmer. Sweet tea vodka shakes up with lemonade for a drink that’s tart, but refreshing — and allows for a date night in jeans. Tamari, 3519 Butler St., Lawrenceville. 412.325.3435.

Make it Pink!

If you’re feeling festive, order a pink martini. But skip the jumped-the-shark cosmopolitan, and opt for a Canterberry martini instead, with Pinnacle kiwi-strawberry vodka, muddled and strained with strawberries and basil. It’s herby with a sweet spike. Juicy, even. Monterey Bay Fish Grotto, 1411 Grandview Ave., Mt. Washington. 412.481.4414. 146 Mall Circle, Monroeville. 412.374.8530.



Red, Red Wine

Is there anything more romantic than swigs of lip-dying red wine? Try the Hayman and Hill Meritage, with swirls of vibrant cherry and deep notes of vanilla. If you stammer for conversation, just start to quote the movie Sideways: “I like how wine continues to evolve, like if I opened a bottle of wine today it would taste different than if I’d opened it on any other day, because a bottle of wine is actually alive…” The Wine Loft, 2773 Tunnel Blvd., SouthSide Works. 412.586.5335.

Cool Kid

A cucumber cocktail is just about the most zen thing you can drink. Order the “Blue Cucumber,” with muddled fresh cucumber, Bombay Sapphire, and club soda, and you’ll come off impossibly fresh and put together. Feel free to wear your yoga pants under your trousers and quote Robert Aitken. Your date will be completely ethereal. $12. Isabela on Grandview, 1318 Grandview Ave., Mt. Washington. 412.431.5882.