Matt's Quickie · Trina's Starlite Lounge
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“We’re definitely a cocktail bar—but we don’t take [cocktails] too seriously,” says Emma Hollander, general manager of Inman Square cult favorite Trina’s Starlite Lounge.
Few drinks personify that credo better than Matt’s Quickie, a chocolatey, boozed-up twist on the White Russian that’s been a mainstay of the bar’s Monday industry brunch for years. (Nine-to-five toilers should note that Trina’s now serves brunch on Sundays, too.)
“I had a regular named Matt who always wanted a White Russian with chocolate milk, and he coined it as ‘The Quickie’,” Hollander says. “Once everyone saw there were glasses of chocolate milk going around, people would order it.”
“Quickie” is the keyword here: It’s made with an instant chocolate milk, such as Nesquik, that evokes childhood in a single sip. On the adult side it’s fortified with Bully Boy Vodka and Caffè Borghetti, an Italian espresso liqueur that functions like a much better Kahlúa. And should you desire a (very) lazy afternoon, a floater of Green Chartreuse tops it off.
The sweet chocolate milk mix gets more body and balance from the dark, rich Caffè Borghetti, and the topper of Green Chartreuse melds with the chocolate in a way that could convert even the biggest Chartreuse skeptic.
“For us, it was fun thing: White Russian plus Chartreuse,” says Hollander, “Putting Chartreuse in your White Russian brings down the seriousness of what Chartreuse is.”
Matt’s Quickie
2 ounces Bully Boy Vodka
1 ounce Caffè Borghetti
2 ounces instant chocolate milk (such as Nesquik)
1 ounce Green Chartreuse
Combine vodka, Caffè Borghetti, and chocolate milk in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a pint glass filled with ice. Top with Green Chartreuse float and serve.