Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.03.2013, Qupperneq 39

THE FIRST SIP
“This is probably what lemonade would
taste like if it were made from cheap juice
extract and moonshine.”
- Gyða Dixon, student, Háskóli Íslands
THE SECOND SIP
“The margarita immediately made me
think of sardines because of how they
all just lay there. Drinking this alcoholic
disappointment was like swimming in the
Reykjavík harbour and inhaling salt water
through your nose, while you’ve got a gummy worm
in your mouth.”
- Bowen Staines, owner/director, Don’t Panic Films
THE THIRD SIP
“The margarita is a bit bitter, but it can
pull you into a samba or limbo when
you’re already a bit too drunk, which is
great! Mmmm…” [This must be lost in
translation].
- Jón Þór Ólafsson, singer/guitarist
THE FOURTH SIP
“Nice. Fine stuff. It tastes a bit artificial.
It’s a bit like a sugary mixed drink.”
- Úlfur Alexander Einarsson, singer/gui-
tarist, Oyama
THE FIFTH SIP
“Seemingly non-alcoholic, over-sweet and
cloying with a mysterious menthol after-
taste. And don’t get me started on the lack
of presentation. No salt-rim, wrong glass,
cheesy straw. Stick to beer.”
-Fletcher Tucker, recording artist, Bird By Snow (US)
THE SIXTH SIP
“It’s fine. Not too bad, not too good.”
-Snorri Helgason, singer/songwriter
THE SEVENTH SIP
“It’s like walking on the beach at 7 in the
morning with a bad hangover, no money
and a phone with no batteries.”
- Steinþór Helgi Arnsteinsson, band man-
ager/bartender at Harlem
THE EIGHTH SIP
“It tastes like sunshine in a glass.”
- Hörður Sveinsson, photographer/graphic
design student
THE NINTH SIP
“On a good hangover Sunday, I have had
ice coffee at Kaffitár, Pepsi at the movies
and ice water from the tap, but nothing has
satisfied my thirst quite like the margarita at
Harlem. The only thing that is missing is the
sunny beach and the day would be perfect.”
- Ólöf Rut Stefánsdóttir, art school graduate
Ó Ð I N S T O R G 1 0 1 R E Y K J A V Í K Í S L A N D S N A P S B I S T R O . I S
S n a p s b i s t r o @ s n a p s b i s t r o . i s + 3 5 4 5 1 1 6 6 7 7
Sturlugata 5 · 101 Reykjavík
Tel. +354 552 15 22 · www.dillrestaurant.is
Lífið er saltfiskur
#109 Dill is a Nordic restaurant with its
focus on Iceland, the pure nature and
all the good things coming from it.

It does not matter if it’s the
ingredients or the old traditions, we
try to hold firmly on to both.
There are not many things that make
us happier than giving life to old
traditions and forgotten ingredients
with modern technique and our creative
mind as a weapon.
Ten People Share A Margarita At Harlem
THE LAST SIP
It was nearing closing time when the bartender
came over and cleared our empty glasses
from the table, leaving just one behind—the
unfinished margarita. “Anna, Anna, Anna,” the
others chanted as if finishing off the translucent
yellow fluid now sitting in a pile of melting ice
cubes were some gargantuan task. I reached for the glass,
grabbed the straw and slurped down the last of it. But that
was not the last of it. The taste lingered long afterwards,
lining my mouth in a sugary film that makes you itch for a
toothbrush. As for my last words: The odds are against you.
- Anna Andersen, managing editor at Grapevine
Reykjavík’s watering holes primarily serve beer—lots and
lots of run-of-the-mill beer from the tap—but not all of us
are run-of-the-mill beer drinkers and some of us even like
to enjoy a cocktail from time to time. Finding that cocktail
at your average Reykjavík bar, however, can be tricky. As
soon as you go for something a bit more fancy than a single
or double plus mixer—like a gin & tonic or a rum & coke—
there’s no guarantee that the mixed drink will live up to its
name.
The reasons are probably many. The exorbitant cost
of strong spirits due to heavy alcohol taxes could explain
the lack of demand, which could in turn explain the lack of
experience, but it’s hard to say for sure. For one reason or
the other though, ordering a cocktail at your average bar
is often a gamble—a gamble that we decided to take on
Harlem’s margarita, one of two cocktails (the other being
Iceland’s favourite mojito, of course) that the hip new bar
advertises for the below-average price of 1000 ISK.
The bartender whipped it up in a matter of seconds and
we proceeded to recruit nine people gathered at Harlem
after Jón Þór and Bird By Snow’s Sunday evening show to
help us suss it out. Members of this spontaneous review
team, which includes the aforementioned bartender, were
simply passed the margarita along with a notepad and pen
and instructed to write something—anything—about it.
The following is their assessment. - ANNA ANDERSEN