WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – It’s an interesting feeling when you start to see you childhood reflected nostalgically in the food and culture around you.
Cassette tapes are back. Jimmy Eat World is touring again. People are collecting the cheap cameras I remember fumbling with as a kid, as if they’re priceless heirlooms.
In short, the 90s are back! And one local restaurant is embracing the trend.
This week, my wife and I stopped by North Italia in Walnut Creek to try out a new series of drinks aimed squarely at exactly this kind of nostalgia.
North Italia at 1179 Locust Street in downtown Walnut Creek is currently offering its annual Summer Sips menu, and this year’s theme is “Forever Young.”
The limited-time drinks take inspiration from the snacks, candies and beverages that defined summer for a generation of kids who grew up in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.
That means Capri Sun-style drink pouches. Orange Julius at the mall. Dreamsicles. S’mores. Sports drinks after practice.
In other words, a startling amount of my Millennial childhood — except now there is liquor involved.
North Italia says the Summer Sips collection includes 16 cocktails around the country, with four drinks offered nationally and additional regional creations. The promotion began July 3 and runs through September 7.
Perhaps the most aggressively nostalgic option is the Capri Punch, which North Italia says was inspired by “Lunchables and drink pouches between summer camp activities.”
The $15 cocktail combines Nikka vodka, Aperol, mango, pineapple, Luxardo cherry and fresh lemon.
Basically, it’s a spiked Capri Sun. And it tastes almost exactly like the 1990s original. Today, parents give their kids watered-down juice, with the belief that even the sugar in a natural fruit juice is too much.
Contrast that to the 90s, when parents felt that the sugar in natural juice wasn’t enough. Capri Sun was basically juice with a hit of additional sugar. And the Capri Punch captures that flavor and sweetness perfectly.
There’s also the Dreamsicle Margarita, inspired by chasing down the ice cream truck for one of those orange-and-vanilla frozen bars. North Italia’s adult interpretation combines Casamigos Blanco tequila, Aperol, orange and vanilla.
Another national drink, S’more Please, turns backyard or summer-camp s’mores into a bourbon cocktail–basically an “Old Fashioned” topped with toasted marshmallows. It is made with Basil Hayden Bourbon, Amaro Nonino, cacao and toasted marshmallow.
You wouldn’t immediately assume that combining a classic cocktail with toasted sugar makes sense. But for all its Don Draper vibes, the Old Fashioned is actually a surprisingly sweet drink, and it thus works surprisingly well.
Turns out, bourbon and marshmallows is a pretty awesome combo!
Interestingly, one of the most millennial-coded drinks on the menu doesn’t contain alcohol at all.
The Orange Slice is a zero-proof drink inspired by both the orange wedges handed out at youth sports games and Orange Julius drinks from the mall. North Italia makes its version with orange juice, vanilla, pineapple and oat milk.
Given that Millennials were the first generation to begin a continuing pivot to alcohol-free drinks, the inclusion of a mocktail makes sense.
California also gets its own regional Summer Sips drink. The Mango Chamoy combines Cazadores Blanco tequila, mango, Aperol, chamoy and spiced salt, with North Italia describing it as a nod to grabbing a sweet-and-salty treat from a neighborhood fruit stand.
It was a bit sweet for me, but I liked the spiced salt on the rim as a creative addition.
The cocktails are priced at $15, with $12 Summer Sips cocktails available during happy hour (North Italia covered a portion of our meal so we could test multiple cocktails, and Bay Area Telegraph covered the balance.). At the Walnut Creek restaurant, happy hour currently runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
North Italia isn’t exactly a retro-themed restaurant. Its regular menu centers on contemporary Italian dishes, including handmade pastas and pizzas, along with salads, entrees and a substantial cocktail and wine program.
In addition to our cocktails, we enjoyed a Tie Die margarita pizza with a pesto swirl.
We also had a burrata appetizer, which was tasty with fresh tomatoes.
And for our main dish, we had a short rib that was quite tasty.
My wife’s birthday was approaching, and when we told the staff, they provided a little scoop of mango gelato and a birthday card signed by multiple team members.
This is definitely a fun and festive restaurant for a celebration, even if you’re not there for the cocktails.
If you’re a fellow Millennial or just want a little, drinkable window into our worldview, stop by North Italia for one of these retro cocktails.
For a few more weeks, at least, the 1990s are apparently alive and well on Locust Street. They just come with vodka now.
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