Although exams, detention and gym class are thankfully in our past, some bars are adopting a cheeky academic theme. In the spirit of back-to-school season, here are places that get an A+.
London’s The Old School Yard Bar & Playground boasts a ceiling painted with sky and clouds (evoking a playground), lockers and athletic trophies. Signature drinks riff on academic subjects, like the Hemingway Daiquiri and Fizzy Reactions.
School in Toronto looks like a classroom, complete with chalkboards and clocks, and offers a weeklong brunch. Drinks include School Caesar, Apple A Day and Hot for Teacher. Match your cocktail with any “Night School” entrée, like fish tacos and organic cheeseburgers—it’s got to be an improvement over school lunches.
Le Truc located in San Francisco, serves breakfast and lunch within a converted school bus. Groups (up to 14 people) can rent out the bus for a dinner paired with local beers or wines. Being on a bus was never this much fun.
Get in the school spirit with this scholastic-themed cocktail.
Apple A Day
1½ ounces Maker’s Mark Bourbon
1 ounce apple juice
1 ounce apple syrup (reduce apple juice by 50%)
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
Splash of ginger ale
2 red apple slices
Fill a rocks glass with ice and place two slices of fresh apple on either side. Combine Bourbon, apple juice, apple syrup, lemon juice in a cocktail shaker and strain over glass. Top with a splash of ginger ale.