Monterey

Monterey. The name evokes northern California, Spanish Mission, jazz festivals and a certain kind of pine. It's also a bar and diner in Newtown, Wellington. Its simple horizontal wooden boards stand out on the street frontage, interrupted by just a perspex sign and a bright yellow door. Inside is a relaxed suburban hangout with blue and white mural walls, long-players spinning on a turntable and sets of Connect Four. Newsprint tablecloths and pencils invite patrons to sketch art, some of which ends up blogged on the Monterey webpage. Menus are pasted into the front of old hardcover books. The service is unfailingly warm and friendly.

The other night I had a Martinborough, an original in-house cocktail, described as a twist on the Gimlet. Served in a little old-school saucer-shaped champagne glass (elegant!), the Martinborough has a gin base (40ml), with savignon blanc (30ml), homemade lime cordial (30ml), and a dash of orange bitters. Named after the town in the Wairarapa that produced the wine, its creator told me the Martinborough had been developed for an Air New Zealand competition for a cocktail on flights between Auckland and London. It came second place to a blue-coloured drink(!). Still, Monterey's Martinborough is more than a fancied-up Gimlet, being sweet-n-dry and limey and, well, perfect for high-altitude cruising.