Angie M.
Yelp
LET THE EVENING BE GIN!
Last night was a rainy day and night, it rained all day long non stop. For what ever reason, I have not enjoyed the weather here in AL. As they like to say, when it rains, it pours. You never know what's going to come next.. We have had tornado watches too many times to count when the weather is crazy like that.
Anyway, I did not want to be all alone at home as Courtney was at a work event last night. So, I decided that I would grab a drink before heading home. Unfortunately, my plan A and my plan B both had private events and were closed. I did not know this ahead of time, so I unfortunately was stuck in the rain for a little bit while waiting for a friend. Neither of these plans had posted on social media that they would be closed for private events. So, this made me a little mad.
After walking for a little while, we jumped at the opportunity when realizing that Paper Doll was open to public for drinks without a private event. Paper Doll had been on my list for some time now. But the opportunity did not present itself until last night.
Walking into Paper Doll I did not know what to expect. The minute you walk inside, you are greeted by an ominous, yet relaxing atmosphere. There is a large bar area with all of the liquors separated with like ones.
The menu is located on a QR code, and also on their website. I know some reviews had mentioned having trouble accessing the menu, but it is also on their webpage. So if you cannot get your phone to cooperate, with the QR code, you can easily access the menu on their website.
Shockingly, we had made it to the bar just in time for the end of happy hour. The bartender, Brent was so nice and answered "liquor questions" we had. It was amazing to sit back and watch him make the drinks. I do have to say, I find it so entertaining to see mixologist bartenders working inside these smaller cocktail longes.
I ordered the basil smash cocktail. It was the perfect combination of earthy and herby. My friend ordered the FDB No. 1 cocktail which was floral and tart. We both liked the sound of these drinks, and ordered them so we could try each others. I think we were expecting the FDB to be sweeter then it was, but both drinks were still delicious in our books.
Before leaving Brent made us an exquisite shot. It was exactly what we were looking for to end an evening out. The shot is not on the menu however, it should be. It was Soho lychee vodka and house made strawberry syrup. Milky in texture, but perfectly sweet. Very nice night cap.
If you are looking for a good spot to get a curated cocktail in Birmingham, I cannot recommend Paper Doll enough.