Moscow on the Hill, Saint Paul

http://moscowonthehill.com

4.5 🍅's

As some of you may know I spent one year in Minnesota and that was enough for me. Not because I didn’t have a great job with a great company or a great group of friends, but I am not an individual who enjoys the cold, and well Minnesota takes cold to the freaking stratosphere. With 5-10 days in a row of the high not reaching above 0 degrees and days with the wind chill reaching -20 or colder, not all the money in the world could convince me to be happy long-term in weather like that. So, my husband and I decided to move to the sunny and warm year-round, San Diego, CA.

As I mentioned I had a great job at a global software company and I had established some fabulous friendships during my tenure there so it was only fitting to have a last-day happy hour to get drunk with my former colleagues one last time. I worked downtown Saint Paul so I picked Moscow on the Hill on Selby Street since it was close by and they have great happy hour specials.

It was 4:30 p.m. during the week so, quite honestly, I wasn’t thinking about having a bloody mary. However, when I read the drink menu and saw under Moscow Cocktails: The Bloody Russian, I couldn’t refuse my inner tomato-loving-self telling me to go for it. I am so glad I did because this bloody mary was top notch! It’s made with Referent Horseradish Vodka and a house made bloody mary mix. It was definitely potent and made my eyes water a tad but so flavorful. The flavor is as bold as the name sounds, but in this case, not a bad thing at all. Probably a great bloody for the cold winters because it’ll definitely warm you up inside (I suppose cold is something Russia and Minnesota have in common).

Moscow’s house-made mix was chalk full of spices (that were clearly visible in the glass) giving it a robust flavor with a punch of horseradish from the vodka. Being in Minnesota, the bloody was served with a chaser of beer. Praise the free booze gods! The skewer was simple with lemon, lime and a pickle because this tantalizing bloody doesn’t need a fancy skewer to hide behind. It is by far one of my favorite tasting bloodys I’ve ever had, and I've had a lot.

If you like Russian vodka and/or bloody marys then I highly recommend Moscow on the Hill. On the weekends, they have a build you own bloody mary bar for only $6.95! Great happy hour specials and a low-key place to gather with friends for a drink after work or say goodbye one last time. I cherish all the relationships I made in Minnesota and equally all the amazing bloody marys and free beers to go with them!