East Tennessee's Best 2010: Drinks

Photo by J. Miles Cary // Buy this photo

Best of East Tennessee - Best Bartender

Bartender Patrick Leigh-Bell, of Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, was voted Best Bartender in this year's EastTennessee's Best poll.

Photo by J. Miles Cary

Best of East Tennessee - Best Bartender

Bartender Patrick Leigh-Bell, of Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, was voted Best Bartender in this year's EastTennessee's Best poll.

BEST BARTENDER: PATRICK LEIGH-BELL

Ruth's Chris Steak House,

950 Volunteer Landing Lane

There are a few variations on a good Ketel One Martini. One calls for one-and-a-half ounces of Ketel One Vodka, one ounce of olive brine and one whole blue-cheese stuffed olive. Shake the vodka and olive brine together in a cocktail shaker, serve straight up in a martini glass and add the olive to garnish.

It just so happens that the Ketel One Martini is Patrick Leigh-Bell's favorite drink. He could tell you how he makes it, but we'd have to kill you. Or at least make you buy us a drink.

Leigh-Bell is an experienced bartender, having practiced his craft since 2001. He's worked in several restaurants in the Knoxville area, including Nama Sushi Bar and Wild Wing Cafe in Farragut. He's been working at Ruth's Chris Steak House on Volunteer Landing since it opened in October 2007. When he's not in the martini bar there, you might find him pouring shots at Tin Roof on The Strip near the University of Tennessee campus.

Runners-up: Lana Shackelford, Bistro by the Tracks; Richard "Red" Jones, Ray's ESG

BEST MARTINI: SAPPHIRE

428 S. Gay St.

According to mixologist, historian and Esquire magazine correspondent David Wondrich, the cocktail was originally a breakfast drink. Back in the early 1800s, forget about orange juice. You were spending the morning tipsy.

The martini also has a reputation as a purely American drink. Henry Louis Mencken reportedly called it "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet." It's a drink that makes you feel classy just holding it, even if you're wearing ratty jeans and an old tee at the time.

Steeped in modernity and sophistication, Knoxville's Sapphire is indeed a jewel of a martini bar. Unique signature martini drinks like Manhattan Sweet and the Key Lime Martini will add style and pizzazz to your evening. Pair your drinks with a fruit and cheese plate and a show down the street at the Tennessee Theatre for a night of both style and substance. Be sure to drop in on Wednesdays for $5 Signature Martini Night.

Runners-up: Bistro by the Tracks, Bonefish Grill

BEST RESTAURANT WINE SELECTION: BISTRO BY THE TRACKS

Photo by J. Miles Cary

Best Restaurant Wine Selection – Bistro By the Tracks

Bistro By the Tracks was noted by our readers for having the Best Restaurant Wine Selection.

215 Brookview Centre Way

Americans don't necessarily have a reputation for knowing how to dine. Europeans are known to eat for two or three hours, laughing, talking, savoring each bite and drinking glass after glass (or even bottle after bottle) of wine. Americans get food from the window of a building and then drive off to eat it.

One of the keys to eating well is the wine. Wine enhances flavor, slows down your tendency to shovel food in your mouth, and makes you feel all warm and wonderful inside.

Bistro by the Tracks has a diverse wine list that will make your meal a special occasion, even if it's just a casual lunch. The whites and reds are selected from some of the finest wineries in the world, like 1994 Sandeman vintage port from Portugal, or Maso Canali Pinot Grigio from Trentino, Italy. The restaurant was also a recipient of Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence for 2010, which recognizes establishments "whose wine lists offer interesting selections, are appropriate to their cuisine and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers." So you don't just have to take our word for it.

Runners-up: Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & amp; Wine Bar, Regas Restaurant

BEST MARGARITA: SOCCER TACO

Various locations

When life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. Then find someone whose life gave them tequila, triple sec, lime and salt. Oh, and ideally a glass the size of a bath tub.

In the meantime, head over to Soccer Taco and order a margarita. The tequila-infused beverages are particularly potent there, not to mention yummy. Choose the regular if you're driving, the 32-ounce barrel of jumbo if you're not or the 64-ounce pitcher if you've come with friends. Get it frozen or on the rocks. If you get top shelf, you can pick your tequila. You can even get your margarita flavored with strawberry or peach.

Why walk when you can stagger?

Runners-up: Chez Guevara, Cancun

BEST SWEET TEA: MCALISTER'S DELI

Various locations

Tea was meant to be sweet and cold. We don't care who tells you otherwise. You can steep the leaves in water all day, but unless there's plenty of ice and sugar, we're having none of it.

It's little surprise that a plastic McAlister's cup with a red straw is such a common occurrence. The original McAlister's Deli opened in a converted gas station in Mississippi, so you know they know how to make the beverage properly. Concocted from black tea leaves and a whole lot of love, a McAlister's tea in a tall glass is the perfect way to cool off on a hot summer day. But if you're really thirsty, you can just go ahead and order a gallon.

Runners-up: McDonald's, Chick-fil-A

BEST COFFEE SHOP: STARBUCKS

Various locations

Photo by J. Miles Cary

Best Coffee Shop – Starbucks

The coffee at Starbucks, with locations like this one on Kingston Pike in Bearden, is our readers' choice for East Tennessee's Best.

"We're losing him! I need a caffeine drip! Get me 10,000 cc of White Chocolate Mocha! Hurry it up, he's flatlining! Stat!"

Those are the sounds of a typical morning at Starbucks. But when seconds count, those early morning emergency barista technicians are ready and able to breathe life back into your weary body. Bold, flavorful and fast, it's just the steaming hot pick me up you need until the next one a couple of hours later.

Runners-up: Remedy Coffee, Old City Java

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