Girl Scout cookie season is quickly coming to a close in Northern California, as official sales of the beloved bite-size treats end on April 23. Thankfully, there’s still time to support local Girl Scouts even if sweets aren’t your thing.
Marina bar Causwells has concocted a slate of craft cocktails inspired by your favorite boxed cookies—from classics, like the refreshingly crisp Thin Mints and coconut-sprinkled Samoas, to newcomers like Lemon-Ups and Adventurefuls. One dollar from every cocktail sold off this menu benefits the Girl Scouts of America Opportunity Fund, which supports travel and camp expenses for girls and troops in low-income communities.
Fittingly, almost all the drinks are made with specialty infusions, which the bar’s crafty team of mixologists created in-house from cookies purchased from local Girl Scout troops. Several drinks are served with a Girl Scout cookie garnish.
So what’s the lineup?
Causwells’ take on the Lemon-Up gets the adult treatment as a Negroni-style beverage with butter-washed Campari, Tahitian vanilla, bianco sweet vermouth and gin infused with the Girl Scouts’ crispy lemon cookie. Rather than a peanut butter sandwich, Causwells’ Do-Si-Dos-inspired cocktail takes its flavor profile from the peanuts that might top a Thai papaya salad and pairs cold-pressed green papaya juice and a peanut cookie syrup with fresh Thai basil and calamansi
Prefer the complex bittersweet flavor profile of cacao over mainstream brownies? Causwells’ riff on Adventurefuls, a chocolate-and-caramel treat, uses a rich mole of pasilla chiles, roasted banana, sesame and bitter chocolate—all mixed with Cenote tequila to create an Old Fashioned-style libation with Latin American overtones.
And the bar’s Thin Mint cocktail strikes a balance between acidity and sweetness with a crystal-clear green mint cordial made from crushed Thin Mint cookies, fresh mint and Stoli vodka, cooked sous vide for a few hours then fat-washed.
“This is adulting, adult Girl Scout Cookies,” said Ronnie Lopez, Causwells bar manager, who used to be a Girl Scout herself.
But the sophisticated suite of drinks is not without some child’s play. The S’mores cocktail, made with Wiseman rye, Mr. Black Coffee liqueur, chicory and marshmallow fluff, smells like a summer campfire. Barkeeps use a handheld torch to bathe the drink in a cloud of smoke before service trapping the bonfire vibes in the glass with a wooden cap. A puff of musky haze billows out from the tumbler when you pop the top.
And the Samoas cocktail, made with Samoas-infused Bayou Rum, coconut water, falernum, Caribbean bitters and Meyer lemon, is served in a giant coconut stamped with the restaurant’s name. Only nine of these cocktails are available each day, so be sure to show up early if you want to sample this unique Tiki-inspired tipple.
Speaking of limited runs, this cocktail menu is only available through the end of April.