The Tom Sawyer

 The Tom Sawyer is one of the newest cocktails found at
Side Track Coffee in Downtown Opelika.

Cocktail by David Bizilia | Photography by Henry Wiliford

Inspired by the rambunctious character in Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” the Tom Sawyer is full of imagination, yet noticeably more mature. Crafted with all the care of a cocktail in modern-day St. Petersburg’s finest bar, the drink is surprisingly complex while still being non-alcoholic (as are all Side Track’s drinks). 

Tom Sawyer

(stemming from Twain and his direction with the immature Tom in Huckleberry Finn's novel, instead of Tom's) this drink consists of: 

• Overnight Espresso (espresso steeped in sugar and orange peels, then strained and refrigerated) 

• Lemon Syrup 

• Muddled Blueberries 

• Unfiltered, Turmeric Infused Ginger Ale 

• Mint Garnish

As David Bizilia, creator of the Tom Sawyer, serves one up for the first time, he describes the drink: 

“All these dense, star players work together like we did not even expect. The sweetness, bitterness and acidic balance of the espresso, lemon and blueberries play right into the hands of the spicy, hoppy push of the ginger ale. The mint compliments the cinnamon while the ginger ale compliments the lemon. We are very proud of this one because it’s still evolving. Once served over ice, we have transitioned Tom to be stirred and strained from the ice and pulp of the blueberries into a shallow coupe glass. Then, we introduce to the party the unfiltered, turmeric infused ginger ale—along the lines of ole Tom Sawyer making matters worse for Huck, but making the story that much more exciting). 

This drink of ours gladly tells a story. One of the hard work by the hands of Twain and craftsmanship by the hands of our bartenders. And our favorite part is the look of this drink—we'd bet it is the same color as the Mississippi River, which those boys journeyed.

Cheers, boys.”