Since I was there last, Death & Co. has redesigned, reordered and expanded their cocktail menu. It makes more sense now to have drinks clustered by spirit—all the whiskey drinks in one section, all the gin drinks in another, and so on. I forced myself to not order a Double Fill Up (Rittenhouse rye whiskey, fresh lemon juice, pomegranate molasses and mint) even though I really wanted one.
So when they didn’t have the salt necessary to prepare a Cinder (jalapeño-infused tequila, mescal, fresh lime juice and a dash of angostura bitters, served in a glass rimmed with smoked salt), I instead asked for a Range Life. All I knew about it was that it contained tequila, for which I thirsted, and that “Range Life” is the name of a song I like by the band Pavement. I ordered it based on that. Which was a poor idea because not only could I taste no tequila, all I did taste was Campari, which as previously noted, I dislike.
Henceforth I will think twice about ordering drinks named after songs. I’ve got a narrowed eye on you, “Sentimental Journey.”