Drink: The Flying Caucasian

If history is told by the victors, it's no wonder the 1980s spirit narrative was, for a while, largely remembered as the decade that flavorless vodka almost killed gin.

But with aromatic gin now in a full craft renaissance, many have noted the debut of Bombay Sapphire in 1987 as gin's first foothold back into boutique liquor relevance.

It's a tenuous - but plausible - thread to explain why manager Tom Pittakas has assembled more than 100 gins for the bar at 1980s-themed Juniper Commons.

And, as if to right that decade's many culinary wrongs, the initiative extends to the gin proving a number of old cocktails, too, including this lighter, more flavorful revamp of a White Russian.

Pittakas dubs it the "Flying Caucasian" as a nod to Jeff "the Dude" Lebowski and the citrusy Aviation gin replaces vodka in the mix.

A splash of cream subs for a heavier dose, and treacly Kahlua is swapped-out for cold-pressed Elixr coffee and a racing stripe of ground beans across the surface.

It's so aromatically roasty as you lean in for a sip, it almost makes that after-dinner coffee unnecessary.

- Craig LaBan
Flying Caucasian, $10, Juniper Commons, 521 S. Broad St., 267-417-5210.