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How Marlo Scott Ditched the Big Office and Big Salary to Get Her Sweet Revenge Marlo Scott transcended the whole sticky-sweet cupcake trend with a genius concept--serve them with booze!

By Jennifer Wang

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It's just past seven on a Saturday night in New York City, and every seat at Sweet Revenge's custom-built zinc bar is taken. Forget about grabbing a table--they are all full, too. A big group is standing along a narrow drinks ledge, spilling into the back, and more people are hovering by the entryway. The room is warmly lit by suspended globe lights, giving off an inviting, Euro-chic vibe--dark hardwood, distressed mirrors, wall sconces with vintage metal accents, a striking art deco bird tattooed on the ceiling.

Sweet Revenge is a cupcake shop.

Its owner, Marlo Scott, has managed to turn the whole cupcake phenom on its buttercreamed head by serving "grown-up" versions in sophisticated, and not always sweet, flavors topped with three fat slashes of frosting--a "badass mohawk" motif, as Scott puts it. Even more badass: The cupcakes are offered with wine and beer pairings designed to bring out the best of both. For the signature Sweet Revenge cupcake--a peanut butter cake with a chocolate ganache center and peanut butter-fudge frosting--there's a frothy Weihenstephaner Hefe Weiss ale or a Las Perdices Malbec, a full-bodied Argentinean red.