9 Maple Ave

This place is Old School…

It was our first date, at the marina bar where I kept the racing sailboat I never raced. Right away I recalled that she was a bit taller than me, but wore “flats,” and I appreciated the empathy. Then her drink order: “Dewars on the rocks, please.” She had me at Dewars. I thought, “now this is a woman I can grow old with.”

Scotch is one of my go-to spirits; blended or single malt. A place with a large scotch selection, appropriately dim lighting, sometimes witty bartenders who always pour it like they mean it, and excellent weekend jazz: 9 Maple, Saratoga Springs, New York.

I recommend the McCallum 12, and the 100 or so other scotches they have on hand. Go after work on Fridays and you can get a slice or two of their traditional six foot Marino’s sub. Other nights, they serve only peanuts. This place is Old School.