Where to Drink: Atlanta, Beleza’s Orange Swizzle

This post is part of a new series, where we will review establishments across the U.S. mixing up delicious cocktails with OVAL!

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If you’ve been paying attention (there might be a test) you probably heard we were in Atlanta recently for Thursday Drink Night sponsored by OVAL vodka. Wow! Yummy drinks. We chose to use and abuse the crew at Beleza for this event because I had such an awesome experience visiting their bar back in April.

This Brazilian-style restaurant and bar has a FAB.U.LOUS OVAL cocktail called The Orange Swizzle on the menu and in this video, mixologist Adam Fox fixes it up. Now, this one’s pretty involved. It might not be something you can whip up at home on any ol’ night of the week. That’s why this post is called “where to drink.” If you’r e in the mood for something special & different (and you find yourself in this great city of the South) you need to head to Beleza and let the bar staff take care of you. Cheers!

The Orange Swizzle

1 ½ oz. OVAL vodka
½ oz. Cane Syrup
¾ oz. Lime Juice
6 Mint Leaves, bruised
3 ½ Wheels of Orange, muddled in tin
Bar spoon Cointreau
½ oz. Homemade Ginger Beer
2 oz. Soda Water
Dash of Aperol

First of all, take a deep breath. This is going to be serious. Start off with the mint in a Collins glass and use a swizzle stick to bruise the leaves. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the orange wheels. Add cane syrup, lime juice, Cointreau, ginger beer and OVAL vodka. Dry shake. Add ice and continue to shake thoroughly. Fill the Collins glass with crushed ice. Strain the contents of the cocktail shaker over the ice. Swizzle with swizzle stick. Top with soda water and mark with Aperol. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Reward yourself for a job well done and DRINK!

Oval in Hotlanta

Steve & I just returned from Atlanta, where we were busy selling Oval to local bars, restaurants, and liquor stores. This was my first trip to the ATL, though I’ve been through the airport many-a-time. I guess I expected the city to be like New York, just smaller and hotter with everyone dressed like Lil’ John or Scarlett O’Hara. Those Southern stereotypes were not fulfilled, but just for giggles, here’s a few that were:

1. I met a liquor store owner named Bubba who talked about a recent Toby Keith concert for about 45 minutes.
2. Every female server I encountered called me “Hun” and said “Bless Your Heart.”
3. The TGI Fridays I visited had a “No Guns Allowed” sign on the front door.

Giggles aside, Atlanta was a great city—sprawled out with more green spaces than is typical in major U.S. cities. Everyone I met was friendly and helpful and I had a great time.

Oval got a great reception from those I visited—everyone thought it was extremely clean & smooth, and enjoyed the warmth of the Italian summer wheat. One store owner even went so far as to say it was the best-tasting vodka (and yes, you actually can taste this one) he had in the store. The only problem managers seemed to have was figuring out which of the vodkas they already had needed to go to make room for our lovely bottle.

Georgia was our first market & the folks at Georgia Crown distributors were fantastic. Next stop, New York! If we’re not in your area yet, don’t stress! Keep an eye on the E-Commerce sites we have listed here—the ones based in New York should be offering it soon!