Sip Spotted Owl Akron's Sweet Pea

The cocktail menu looks the same, but the new Akron location of the Spotted Owl feels entirely different than the dark, cozy, cellar-like spot we’ve come to love in Tremont. Thanks to a tropic vibe helped by indoor plants, a leafy mural behind the bar and jade-colored booths, we’d swear we were much more than 35 miles down Interstate 77 south. “It’s very lush and verdant,” says beverage director Jacob Bender of the new space, located in an old fire station in Akron’s West Hill neighborhood. And if any cocktail on the menu of more than 45 craft concoctions fits the vibe, it’s the Sweet Pea ($12). This mix of Bombay Sapphire East gin, house-made snap pea cordial, Cocchi Americano, honey and lemon juice is sweet, refreshing and as bright as the bar’s decor. Bender whipped up the cordial after buying some particularly delicious peas at the West Side Market. “That cocktail was oriented around the flavor of fresh, verdant peas,” he says. “All the other ingredients around that were meant to keep that flavor at the forefront of the tasting experience.” 60 S. Maple St., Akron, 330-252-9099, spottedowlbar.com