Cocktail: Saketinis and sushi cocktails

Thankfully, most restaurants and bars these days have jumped on the bandwagon of offering up specialty cocktail or martini lists. They've gotten away from the lazy beer and wine lists, and put a little more effort into affording guests with creative concoctions.

Don't get me wrong, restaurants are better off putting more creative energy into the food they serve. But we drinkers like to have our options reach farther than a draft beer, glass of house wine or vodka and tonic.

Then there are other restaurants, like Abstractions Sushi Bar in Rehoboth Beach, who go a little overboard (in a good way), offering a ton of choices in both the food and cocktail department, with interesting ingredients you're not likely to see in many other eateries.

On a recent trip to the seaside sushi joint for a dining review, our party had the chore of sifting through more than 35 different rolls. Then we took a look at the martini and mixed drink menu, and knew we had our work cut out for us.

COMMON INGREDIENTS HELP PAIR SUSHI AND TINIS

If you ever thought that sushi only goes with white wine, light beer or sake, well, think again. Abstractions has plenty of options (51 total) that will pair just fine with some of the rolls on their specialty maki menu. It's all about finding those matching ingredients.

For instance, if you're not convinced that a sweet martini can go with sushi, tread lightly by pairing the Saketini ($7), which mixes vodka, sake and blue curacao, with the Real California ($8), which combines the clean flavors of real crab meat, avocado and cucumber.

If you're feeling a little more adventurous, go with what I consider to be my favorite martini while boozing at the beach, the Summertime ($8), which mixes Mt. Gay rum, triple sec and pineapple juice. Pair that with the Hawaiian ($7.50), which combines tuna, cucumber, scallion and pineapple. (See where we're going here?)

One other honorable mention is the Abstractions Bloody Mary ($7), which they specially infuse with fresh made wasabi, paired up with the Matador ($11). The key ingredients here are the jalapenos and spicy sauce, which go great with the spicy cocktail. (Ask for a side of sriracha sauce to really turn up the heat.)

DOUBLE DECKER DRINKS

They say one martini is not enough, yet two martinis is too much. But if you're vacationing at the beach, you really don't care what they say, so throw caution to the ocean wind and order a dual drink on your next trip to Abstractions.

This way this thing works: They've got two kinds of martini glasses behind the bar. The first (bottom) is a fish bowl style glass and served with ice, so the second (top) can sit in there and float, in a stemless martini glass.

Of all the combinations, the most intriguing on the menu is the Fire & Ice ($15, pictured). The Ice ($8 by itself) is set on the bottom, and includes Hpnotiq, Skyy Citrus, blue curacao and club soda, while the Fire ($10 by itself) is a little more on the dangerous side, with Malibu Mango, Meyers rum, a mango-habanero syrup (sweet and spicy), and a floater of Bacardi 151 on top, which they set afire for a little effect. As you can see in the picture, set atop a light-up coaster, this drink catches a lot of eyes in the restaurant.

COME FOR HAPPY HOUR AND JOIN THE CLUB

Happy Hour (and a half) at Abstractions takes place seven days a week, from 5-6:30 p.m., and has plenty of tempting items, like $2.50 edamame, $4 house salads, half-price maki rolls (including California, Philly, Dragon, Spicy Tuna and Dynamite), as well as $4 glasses of wine, $2.50 Kirin Ichiban drafts and $3 rail drinks.

But the biggest incentive for showing up early is the $5 martinis. Of course, this doesn't include the dual martinis (let's not get greedy here), but you can use the discount to help you earn your way into their Abstractions Martini Club, which carries a free T-shirt as your reward.

Next time you're in there, ask the bartender about the club, and they'll give you a list of about 32 martinis, each of which you'll have to drink before getting into the club. (We recommend making more than one visit.) Your card gets stamped with every martini you drink.

Once the list is complete, you get your free T-shirt, announcing you're a member of the club and have survived the list. If you really want to knock it out fast, head back to the restaurant between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, when the Happy Hour prices are in effect.

Abstractions Sushi Bar and Restaurant is located right in town at 203 Rehoboth Avenue. Check out www.abstractionssushi.com for all menus or call 226-0877 for reservations.