The Lemon Tree

In search of the perfect cocktail

The SO and I were in Bratislava, Slovakia (previously the other half of Czechoslovakia) to see an opera. We had read about a well-reviewed restaurant/bar in town with the melodious name of The Lemon Tree on tripadvisor.com. We left our hotel on a gray rainy afternoon to do a little sightseeing and find it. The main square of Bratislava, where The Lemon Tree is located, is a sort of scaled down version of Wenceslas Square in Prague. The opera house sits at the north end of the square kitty corner from the swanky Blu Carlton hotel. Next door to the hotel sits what appears to be a prison or military installation with a barbed-wire crowned chain-link fence, impact barrier-ed gate with armed guards and several black SUV-type vehicles behind the fence—didn't notice any dogs though. Passing by with some trepidation (didn't dare take a picture) we spied an innocuous bronze plaque that announced it as the Embassy of the United States. Next door to that we found the building that houses The Lemon Tree. To our great delight the food was superb and the cocktails a treasure. I had a French Manhattan made with 3 parts bourbon, 1 part Dubonnet with a twist of orange peel marinated in Cointreau. Add a little of the Cointreau marinade for added zing and swirl with a couple ice cubes, don't shake. Mmm! Click on the title for The Lemon Tree website.

                                                  French Manhattan

Postscript: After a somewhat disappointing performance of Don Giovanni we returned to The Lemon Tree for a late night snack. This was In March, shortly after the triple whammy of the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear plant meltdown in Japan. The joint was jumping with the young club-scene crowd. The same friendly young waiter from dinner was still there and served us again. He noticed that my SO is Asian and, in a good-humored sub-Rosa tone, told us that he had heard on the Internet that the earthquake was caused by the Americans who detonated a nuclear device in the underwater fault. With rumors like that, it's no wonder the Embassy looks like a fortress.

PS #2: There are several curious and humorous sculptures here and there in the old town. These have been rearranged to suit my “artistic” purposes. 

                                           Bratislava Castle

                                                    camera shy

                                 paparazzo