Drink this now: Two Spoleto-inspired cocktails that will see you through any opera

Art can inspire myriad reactions — awe, joy, utter confusion. As CP theater critic Maura Hogan writes in this week’s Spoleto Festival USA overview, art can also make one question the very framework of our every day: What is time, really, and how should we spend it?

“In the first days of Spoleto Festival USA 2018, artists everywhere are minding the time,” writes Hogan. “They rue how it slips through their fingers. They chase it dancing from past to present and back to the past. They pine for earlier eras, adding poignant, plaintive context to the here and the now. And they reanimate artists whose time on earth may have ended, but their relevance and resonance endure.”

During the 17-day international arts fest, the theater/opera/dance/concert-goer may be inspired to throw back a libation or two, pre-show, time permitting. If you happen to be taking in operas Tree of Codes and/or Pia de’ Tolomei, be sure to taste test their accompanying cocktails.
Zero Restaurant + Bar
Two Worlds in Thyme
Made with thyme-infused Aperol, rum, vermouth, gin, lemon, egg white, and citrus-thyme syrup, this refreshing sip is inspired by Liza Lim’s contemporary opera Tree of Codes. The production produced more questions than answers for this reviewer, but as Hogan allows, “You may find, like I did, that it will permeate your psyche in strange, new ways.” And if anything will prepare your mind for a trippy trip into the unknown, a tart/herbal rum beverage served up at the oh-so-charming Zero Restaurant + Bar should do the trick.

Remaining showtimes are Fri. June 1, Mon. June 4, and Thurs. June 7 all at 7:30 p.m.

Le Farfalle
A Fiery End
Made with vodka, chile liqueur, citrus juice, and Campari and served with a hunk of ice sprinkled with cayenne, Le Farfalle’s A Fiery End cocktail is inspired by Italian opera Pia de’ Tolomei. Reviewer Heath Ellison says that “Finding problems with Cigni’s adaptation of Pia de’ Tolome is kind of like looking for flaws at a five-star restaurant, just because you want to tell your hipster friends that it wasn’t that good.” Same goes for the drink. With just the right kick of heat, the concoction is made to mimic Dante’s Purgatorio; it’s layered so that the sipper feels as if they’re traveling (in a good way) to a fiery end.

Remaining showtimes are Sun. June 3, Wed. June 6, and Fri. June 8.