In honor of Alcoholmanac 2020, we’re honoring seven signature drinks you can only order at the restaurant or bar that made them famous.
By Jacob Threadgill with provided and Gazette / file photos
Edna’s
5137 Classen Circle
ednasokc.com | 405-840-3339
Oklahoma City’s most popular alcoholic drink has been served over 2 million times and featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The Lunchbox was a happy accident made by the bar’s namesake Edna Scott by mistake, but the combination of Coors Light, orange juice and amaretto is often imitated but never replicated.
Junior’s
2601 Northwest Expressway
juniorsokc.com | 405-848-5597
Junior’s has survived boom and bust in the basement of the Oil Center building, and it has many traditions like the tableside Caesar salad that will never die, but its Brandy Ice with cacao, ice cream and nutmeg featuring the distilled wine is smooth and creamy like a milkshake.
Gun Izakaya
3000 Paseo St.
gunizakaya.com | 405-900-6615
Gun encourages camaraderie in its ode to Japanese pub culture with its two bars at the center of the restaurant. The yakitori bar allows customers to strike up discussion while watching grilled meats sizzle while the “bar bar” features Oklahoma’s only Japanese highball machine. The machine infuses carbonation into soda and whiskey for a unique drink that is available in traditional, charred grapefruit or featured varieties.
Crudoolandia
641 SW 29th St.
crudoolandia.com | 405-432-4352
This drive-thru location takes the Mexican beachside tradition of combining spicy michelada (clamato, lime and either beer or mineral water) with seafood up a notch. The El Rey tops the drink with shrimp, cucumber, celery, Mexican beef jerky and spices, and it’s the most popular item at Crudoolandia, which recently expanded to a second location.
Oso on Paseo
603 NW 28th St.
osopaseo.com | 405-309-8226
Oso’s eight Baja Tiki drinks are so unique that owner Shaun Fiaccone has trademarked the phrase. The tropical drinks are served with fun garnishes, like a banana dolphin for its daiquiri or the Formidable Dragon with three kinds of rum that is served in a hollowed pineapple.
The Mont
1300 Classen Blvd., Norman
themont.com | 405-329-3330
This Norman institution has been serving customers since 1967, but it’s a menu addition in the 1980s that has become a must-order: The Sooner Swirl. The cocktail is a mixture of tangy frozen margarita and sweet and sour sangria that makes it the perfect drink on a spring or summer’s day on the patio.
Bossa Nova Caipirinha Lounge
440 NW 11th St.
bossanovaokc.com | 405-525-9779
The caipirinha is the national cocktail of Brazil and features Cachaça—a distilled spirit made from sugar cane juice. It’s only fitting that Bossa Nova, located above Oklahoma City’s best Brazilian restaurant Cafe do Brasil, is the only place to enjoy a variety of caipirinhas, which are sweet, citrusy and unique — especially when combined with its Midtown view of the downtown skyline.
