Every Cocktail at Hillstone, Tasted and Ranked
Hillstone, the buzzy restaurant chain with locations across the country, is widely beloved for classic no-frills dishes like Spinach and Artichoke Dip and its “Famous” USDA Prime French Dip sandwich. It lives somewhere between a familiar, friendly chain like Chili’s and exclusive and a hard-to-get-into steakhouse like 4 Charles Prime Rib. But while Hillstone might always be a reliable choice for a cheeseburger and shoestring fries, how do the cocktails hold up to the restaurant’s cult reputation?
We decided to take on the arduous task of trying every cocktail on the menu at Hillstone in one evening and ranking them based on balance, flavor, and whether or not they’re true to style. The dinner menu includes seven cocktails, from classics like the Margarita and Manhattan, to original creations like the Jackrabbit and The Crush. We tried them all, plus one extra off-menu cocktail that all Hillstone fanatics should know about.
This list represents the menu at Hillstone’s Park Avenue South location in New York City. Though most of the cocktails offered at Hillstone locations across the country are relatively similar, each menu varies slightly in the drinks offered and the prices listed.
At $23 or $24 each on the NYC menu, it’s important to know which drinks are worth ordering. Read on to see which Hillstone cocktails impressed and which you should probably avoid.
8. The Crush
The menu description led us a bit astray here. The combination of vodka, pressed grapes, and fresh mint (not to mention the name “The Crush”) had us picturing an approachable cocktail with a refreshing palate. But we were met instead with a booze-forward drink that, while served over ice, was anything but sessionable. The aromatic sprig of mint poking out of the top is a welcome distraction from the harshly strong cocktail that reminded us more of a college punch bowl than a sophisticated $23 restaurant splurge. While you’re certainly getting your money’s worth of booze, we couldn’t get over the lack of balance between the vodka and fruit components. It turns out a few crushed grapes don’t produce enough juice to offset the flavors of a glass full of vodka.
7. Margarita
Hillstone’s Margarita features a “house-made sweet and sour” mix, which is immediately a red flag to us as fresh lime juice fanatics. Consequently, the drink has a slightly off-putting electric yellow appearance with a foamy top more reminiscent of a sour than a Margarita. The drink itself is bright and refreshing, but leaves an oddly vanilla-forward aftertaste. Maybe we’re purists, but we definitely missed the tangy, zippy flavor of fresh lime here.
6. Crisp Martini
Similar to “The Crush,” we think “Crisp” is a bit of a misnomer here. When we think of a crisp Martini, we usually picture something like an ice-cold, ridiculously dry freezer Martini. While this drink is definitely properly chilled, it doesn’t quite hit those crisp, dry notes we expected. Rather, the combination of Hendrick’s gin, St-Germain, and Sauvignon Blanc hits on the sweeter, fruitier side, with a palate that borders on cloying. But for those who want the chic Martini look without booze-forward flavor, this is definitely the move.
5. Jackrabbit
The Jackrabbit is one of the two original creations on the Hillstone menu, and we found the mixture of reposado tequila, Campari, grapefruit juice, and mint to be a delightfully refreshing drink, almost like an aperitivo-style Mojito spiked with tequila… if that makes sense. The Campari adds bitter complexity and the mint and grapefruit bring a nice aromatic lift. If you’re looking for a more sessionable drink, skip The Crush and go for the Jackrabbit.
4. Paper Plane
Though the Paper Plane is one of the cocktail world’s classic four-equal-parts drinks, the menu suspiciously only lists three ingredients — Buffalo Trace bourbon, Aperol, and Amaro Nonino — omitting the lemon juice component. It seems like Hillstone might have something against fresh citrus. (Maybe they use the sweet and sour mix here, too?) While the cocktail still comes across as pretty true to form, we found it to be a bit heavy on the Aperol, potentially due to the lack of lemon to brighten it up. The drink is also served with a good number of ice chips still floating about in it, which is kind of surprising at first, but works well to keep the drink icy cold.
3. Classic Manhattan
While Hillstone seems to take some liberties with classic drinks, we appreciate that it sticks to the expected ingredients when it comes to the Manhattan. The restaurant’s version includes High West rye and Antica Formula sweet vermouth and is garnished with a snackable cocktail cherry. (Though the menu doesn’t mention Angostura bitters, we’re going to give Hillstone the benefit of the doubt and assume they are included in the cocktail.) The palate is definitely boozy, but does deliver the Manhattan’s signature spicy notes from the rye and rich sweet flavors from the vermouth and cherry. We would definitely order this again, likely with the burger.
2. Hillstone Negroni
We were skeptical when we first read the menu description of this Negroni that apparently includes “a hint of lime.” (Why throw lime in your Negroni when lack of fresh juice is a glaring oversight in your Margarita?) But when the bright red drink hit the table it looked surprisingly classic (though it used several cubes of ice instead of our preferred large block) and upon first sip, there was (thankfully) no “hint of lime” to be found. This classic three-equal-parts drink was definitely the most balanced of the bunch, with a good equilibrium between the boozy, bitter, and sweet notes. You’re certainly not going to be enjoying it with any olives or salumi here, but if a Negroni is your drink, this is a decent one.
1. Off-Menu Martini
In a way, the effort behind this entire list was moot. If you sit at the bar at Hillstone and look around, chances are you won’t see anyone drinking a single cocktail from the actual cocktail menu. Rather, in front of each place setting is a Martini, not the “Crisp Martini” listed on the menu but a much simpler version of the classic. This drink isn’t listed on the menu, but if you ask your bartender for a Martini, they are prepared to offer you their take on the classic, with gin or vodka, shaken, with a choice of garnish — the most popular being goat cheese-stuffed olives. Though it’s made without vermouth, the drink is served with a shimmering layer of ice chips, so it stays cold and diluted enough to not just feel like a full glass of booze. The simple Martini is a fan-favorite drink, and even popular among NYC’s top bartenders, beloved for its unpretentious charm. What puts this cocktail over the top is the mid-drink glass swap. When you’re about halfway done with the Martini, the bartender will come over with a freshly frosted glass and pour what’s left of your drink into the new vessel to keep it icy cold. If you want to have the quintessential Hillstone experience, sit at the bar and order this cocktail with your French Dip.
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