Threesome at la Isla Verde Cafe

Upon the ending of the Bronx YMCA fund raising event I found myself a bit unsettled and anxious. I didn't want to stay home after the event and decided to go out locally which in reality isn't something that I tend to do. Why? I just find that at times there is an element that hangs out in the local spots that I try to stay away from.

My first stop was to the Step In Restaurant and Lounge where I was bombarded with some very loud and bad karaoke while trying to watch the end of the Yankees game. I didn't have anything spectacular there past a Bacardi Limon and diet coke to drink and decided to move on to another location. I remembered about a place called Isla Verde Cafe which is located under the 6 Train El 1859 Westchester Avenue (Between Thieriot and Leland Avenues) and decided to head there.

Upon walking in, I made eye contact with the bartender and asked her to make me what she would consider her signature drink. She asked if I wanted something sweet or strong. After the debacle known as the Nude-Tini Passion Fruit Cocktail, I did not want something sweet so strong it would have to be. I found an empty seat at the bar and a minute later she came by with the drink she called a Threesome. Now I'm not totally sure of the counts involved with the three ingredients that made yup the cocktail so here it is:

Threesome
Hpnotiq
Alizé Gold Passion
Hennessy Cognac

Build over ice in a Collins glass or a pint glass.

Apparently I would be stuck with a Passion fruit theme this evening after all. LOL. Before I go into what I thought of the drink, here is a brief description of the ingredients for those of you unfamiliar with them.

Hpnotiq as per their website is:

A Refreshing Blend of Premium French Vodka, Exotic Fruit Juices, and a Touch of Cognac. HPNOTIQ delights all your senses. Its eye-catching aqua blue color and refreshing blend of natural exotic fruit juices and premium spirits make any occasion more fabulous. Best served chilled by itself or with your favorite mixer – we recommend keeping it classic with vodka, coconut rum or champagne

Alizé Gold Passion as per their website is:

Was first introduced to the United States in 1986...blending exotic passion fruit with premium French spirits

I would hope that you would know what Hennessy is, aside from a popular girl's name here in the Bronx (I kid you not), one of the leading Cognac brands in the world and has been in existence since 1765 when Irishman Richard Hennessy built the first Hennessy distillery. See that is interesting, an Irishman created Hennessy. Gotta love the backstory.

My friend Stevie saw that I had posted on FB that I was having this cocktail and was very surprised since this kind of cocktail is not normally something I'd drink. But hey, when in Rome aka the Bronx, right? The liqueurs seem to have been layered with the Hpnotiq on the bottom and I assume the Alizé in the middle and the Hennessy on top. Perhaps she floated the Hennessy? I have to say, this cocktail was indeed strong and sweet. I would say that the sweetness came directly from Alizé and the Hpnotiq while the kick in the teeth came from the Hennessy. It was quite tasty though I can't have more than one of these. The sugar in this cocktail would have me bouncing off the walls after two of them let alone more than two.

Isla Verde Cafe has a very decent bar. It actually surprised me since the places in my neighborhood tend to be few and far between and are lacking a decent selection. I would categorize it as being very "Bronx-centric". Mind you, I don't mean that in a bad way. They know what their clientele is and they have spirits that cater to them such as the various blends Alizé and Hpnotiq. Their bottle beer selection was quite diverse (they don't any have beer taps) and from what I hear their food is quite amazing. They have live music on the weekends and a DJ spinning as well. It can get somewhat loud in there with the music but you're not going to Isla Verde Cafe for a quiet drink.

I would definitely go back and recommend to others to also go if they want a lively locale with good food and dancing. I also managed to have my first ever taste of Pisco here at Isla Verde Cafe, that is for the next post.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla