When you open a bar there is a temptation to put everything you know on the first menu. We have gone the other way. Four drinks, all of them familiar, all of them made properly.
What is pouring
Old Fashioned — $14. Rye rather than bourbon, demerara syrup instead of a sugar cube, aromatic bitters and a wide strip of orange peel expressed over the top. Stirred until the outside of the glass frosts.
Negroni — $15. Equal parts, stirred long, served properly cold with a peel. There is nowhere to hide in a Negroni, which is exactly why it is on the list.
Smoked Manhattan — $16. Rye, sweet vermouth and bitters, then a moment under a smoking glass before it comes to you. The smoke is there to round the edges, not to make a show of itself.
Espresso Martini — $14. Vodka, coffee liqueur and espresso pulled to order. It is the drink most likely to appear on a second round, so we make it with a thick head of foam and no shortcuts.
What comes next
The list grows from here. We are working on a couple of longer drinks for the warmer months and something with sherry for the colder ones. Anything new goes straight onto the cocktail menu page, so that page is always the current version.
In the meantime, tell the bartender what you like. Spirit, style, how sweet, how strong — that is usually enough to build something off-menu.