Cambridge Cup at Captain Kidd
For the past 46 years, thousands of people have been running from the Captain Kidd restaurant in Woods Hole. It comes with the territory, as it’s the starting line of the famous Falmouth Road Race every August. What started as a bar bet among friends as to who would win a foot race from the Captain Kidd to the (long gone) Brothers Four at Falmouth Heights Beach has turned into an iconic American road race. “We were a bar back then that happened to serve a little food,” recalls co-owner William “Blackie” Murray. “Now, we’re a restaurant that also serves drinks.”
Staying true to their mixologistic beginnings, creativity abounds within the listing of handcrafted cocktails and the “Walk The Plank” specialties offered at the Captain Kidd. There is the light and refreshing Spring 75, with Hanger One rosé vodka, lemon and prosecco. Like all of the cocktails, the Penzance Punch, Blessed William’s Sangria and Menemsha Margarita are elevated by the blend of freshly squeezed juices they feature. What jumps off the page, however, is the Cambridge Cup. Anytime PIMM’S No.1 is featured in a cocktail, it grabs my attention. What exactly is PIMM’S No.1? It’s a gin-based liqueur made with botanicals and caramelized orange. At one point there was a total of six versions of PIMM’S in production, all based on different liquors including scotch, rum, vodka, brandy and rye whisky.
In the Cambridge Cup, the PIMM’S No.1 is paired with Hendricks’s gin for a decidedly non-gin flavor thanks to the bitter orange of the PIMM’S, muddled orange and cucumber, as well as a lemon and simple syrup blend. The result is an ideal tartness that pulls up well short of a pucker-inducing, eye-squinting reaction. Perhaps it is the strawberry and sprig of mint that sets the taste bud expectation level even before the concoction arrives on the tongue. It is the perfect beverage to enjoy on one of the sofas that line the back deck of the Captain Kidd overlooking the moored boats on Eel Pond.
Captain Kidd
77 Water Street, Woods Hole
508-548-8563 / thecaptainkidd.com
