Akron Life February 2023

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R A D A R

by Kelly Petryszyn

seen + heard

IGNITE ROMANCE This Valentine’s Day, go beyond drugstore chocolates and raise the bar with an evening at the Standard. The swanky new Kent restau rant aims to elevate the Tree City with refined small plates such as Korean barbecue octopus over jicama slaw and a poached lobster BLT with lemon truffle aioli, as well as craft cock tails like the dirty martini with squid ink. The clientele often dresses nicer for the lower level spot that exudes speakeasy vibes with a dark wood bar, candles, barrels and a performance area where blues or jazz acts like saxophonist Bobby Selvaggio play every Friday as couples dance the night away. 176 E. Main St., Unit B, Kent, thestandardko.wixsite.com/the-standard

photos provided by the Standard and Towpath Distillery

Visit akronlife.com for Towpath

ASTOUNDING FEATS Find an extreme cure for cabin fever at Ninja Hub Gym in North Canton. Swoop across long rings, muscle through cliff hanger suspended ledges and fly down the ring slider. For the ulti mate test, get a running start and scale the 18-foot warped wall. With classes or open gym time, you might be ready for competi tions or maybe even aim to be the next American Ninja Warrior . 6207 Dressler Road NW, North Canton, ninjahubgym.com

STOLEN AWAY Bootlegger Rocco Piscazzi dis tilled moonshine and whiskey in Akron during Prohibition and set up networks of warehouses, stills and transports via the Ohio & Erie Canal to run his sought after spirits. Now Piscazzi’s descendants are carrying on that tradition with the new Towpath Distillery located inside the fam ily’s Merchant Tavern. It mixes old family recipes with new techniques to produce high quality bourbon, gin, vodka and rum. Toast with craft cocktails made using Towpath spirits like a tart grapefruit rum daiquiri at Merchant Tavern or shake up your home cocktail bar with Towpath recipes like a frothy bourbon sour. Bottoms up! 1824 Merriman Road, Akron, towpath distillery.com

Distillery cocktail recipes.

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