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Teaquation & Tonic is a trendy, fine-casual tea bar that opened earlier this month in downtown Palo Alto. They specialize in tea mocktails and cocktails made with green tea, fresh fruit juices, herbs and creamy toppers, like whipped coconut or mango sorbet. We stopped by during their soft opening, and, despite a few food misses, fell in love with the concept.
THE VIBE: Chic and playful. The space is small, but colorful and well-decorated. Think reclaimed wood tables, jewel-toned chairs and enough living-wall touches to pass the Palo Alto test. Teaquation & Tonic is still in its soft opening phase — right now, it feels like a trendy juice bar with a liquor license — but be on the look-out for live music and an “after-dark experience” to complete the vibe.
THE DRINKS: You may never go back to super-sweet boba or one-note iced tea after tasting these craft drinks. The mild tannin from tea — usually green, though they have two drinks made with black tea — provides the spine of the drink. T&T mixologists then use ingredients like fresh juice, herbs or in a few cases, whipped creamy goodness to provide the acid and weight, so you end up with a complex, well-constructed cocktail that hits all the right buttons.
They currently offer 16 signature drinks ($4.75-$5.50), from the Scandal, made with grapefruit, lemon, hibiscus, grapes and black tea, to the Moxito, which features green tea, lime, mint and club soda. Most can be made into an adult beverage ($10 each) and taste best with gin or vodka.
Among our faves: The tropical yet balanced Gold Digger, with green tea, calamansi, pineapple and coconut whip. We added vodka to the The Joker — a layered beauty with green tea, pineapple, lemon, basil and butterfly-pea flower tea, which gives the drink its purple hue — and it was delicious. Not overly sweet or boozy. Highly recommended.
THE FOOD: Hit or miss, and still in development. The current menu is small and features a handful of appetizers, such as meatballs and a buffalo cheese dip, plus sandwiches and a salad.
We found the sweet and savory Honey Bunch meatballs ($12) flavorful but dense, and the accompanying couscous was cold and clumpy, but it’s early days yet. The T&T salad ($12) topped with roasted pork belly was good, although the description included edible flowers and ours didn’t have any. The house maple-lemon dressing was quite tasty.
Look for egg dishes, crepes and toasts to be added to the brunch menu soon.
PERFECT FOR…Brunch, weekend cocktails with a small group, fruit-spiked mocktails on the go, and come, fall and winter, warming toddies with macarons.
DETAILS: Open from 11:30 a.m. Tuesday-Sunday and from noon on Mondays at 115 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto; www.tqtonic.com.