www.montereycountynow.com SEPTEMBER 4-10, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 39 CHILL The calendar may insist that fall is fast approaching, but on the Peninsula that means the arrival of summer weather. So Katie Blandin and her team at Pearl Hour celebrate the conflicting seasons with a lineup of cocktails that appeal to both. Sade’s Daiquiri is a romp through flowering gardens and strawberry fields. The singer of the same name was Blandin’s inspiration. “Her music—deep, delicate and melodic,” she says. Berries and citrus frisk on the palate, with a graceful floral trill. Lest you think this is a fresh and campy cocktail, there is an earthy, bitter fermata that affirms its depth. Midnight Orchard is a play on the Black Manhattan created by bartender Elise Cricchio, with impressions of ripe stonefruit and prickles of ginger to leaven the rough-hewn bourbon base. “When we enter into spring, people think fruity,” Cricchio observes. “But what is that nightcap that feels like Manhattan in spring?” Fruit is the theme to many of these cocktails. However, “fruity” is deceiving. Blue Velvet, for example, is deep and intense—blueberries with a salty attitude. Blandin emphasizes the subtleties often lost in supermarket berries with a splash or two of gentian amaro. From the promising sensation of flowering bushes, blueberries subside on the palate, descending from fresh to cured to bittersweet. On Sunday, Sept. 7, Pearl Hour celebrates six years of craft cocktails with Sade cover band Diamond Life, a sound excuse for a round of daiquiries. Pearl Hour, 214 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey. pearlhour.com. Fruit Loop New seasonal cocktails at Pearl Hour bring serious expression to fresh flavors. By Dave Faries SEND IDEAS TO: chill@montereycountynow.com DAVE FARIES VALIDATED PARKING 136 OLIVIER ST. MONTEREY NEAR OLD FISHERMAN’S WHARF (831) 644-9007 WWW.BENIHANA.COM OPEN DAILY FOR LUNCH AND DINNER EXPERIENCE THE ORIGINAL Thank you for your vote for Best Organic Produce Market Cornucopia Community Market Cornucopia Community Market offers quality nutritious and environmentally safe products, free of artificial additives and preservatives. Your Local Health Food Store Open Mon.–Fri. 9am-7pm Sat. and Sun. 10am-6pm 831-625-1454 • 26135 Carmel Rancho Blvd, Carmel at the mouth of Carmel Valley THIN CRUST PIZZA SALADS & CALZONES TAKE-OUT TODAY SOURDOUGH PIZZA SEASIDE’S FINEST 720 BROADWAY AVE. SEASIDE PASTA & SUBS BEER ON TAP DESSERTS EAST COAST PIZZAS NY style, thin crust w/ butter & garlic. 14” has 6 slices. 18” has 8 slices. WEST COAST PIZZAS SF sourdough crust w/ garlic olive oil. 14” has 6 slices. 18” has 8 slices. STUFFED CALZONES Made from pizza dough, stuffed w/pizza sauce, garlic, mozzarella cheese, and a sprinkle of basil. (Onions upon request). 831-899-1762 DELIVERY AVAILABLE DINE-IN TOO
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