What’s cooking in the kitchen isn’t the only thing changing these days. Local bartenders are also making adjustments on the drink menus at Rochester restaurants and bars.
These creative folks have been mixing up adult beverages using all sorts of different syrups, juices, spices and mixers, not just with alcohol but non-alcoholic drinks as well. Interestingly, on drink menus the non-alcoholic drinks often rival the more potent cocktails in numbers, quite a change from even just a few years ago.
To get a sense of what was going on I checked with several bartenders — have they come up with seasonal variations or are they staying the course? As it happens, a little of both depending on available ingredients and their own whims.
Certainly one of the more unique spots in town is
The Shoe Beverage Bar
(908 N Broadway). Housed in a 120-year-old building, it has been reincarnated into a cozy neighborhood spot. They are known for their selection of local craft beers as well as $3 beers, including Hamms (with a pickle on top), Banquet and High Life. Signature cocktails include the Gold Rush, and a fall old fashioned.
Bartender Matt added that there is also a vodka-based drink called the Cobbler, a nod to the building’s former tenant. Shoes needing repair? Believe it or not, you can drop them off here, they are picked up, repaired, and returned to the bar the following week. Have a $3 beer while you’re at it. Bar hours are Tuesday-Wednesday 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Closed Sunday and Monday.
Our Paladar on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Rochester.
Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin
The Tap House West End
bartenders (2365 Commerce Drive NW) pride themselves on their extensive cocktail selection, both traditional and newly crafted. In fact, Jake, the bar manager, has developed eight new beverages especially for the season. One, the Iron Churro Fly, is a take-off on an Iron Butterfly (never heard of it? Me neither but it must be a winner as they sell many).
Also new is a spiced banana bread latte, a combination of a special house-made syrup, espresso and spiced rum. The biggest seller “by a mile for years,” has been their blackberry mojito followed by a special version of a margarita. Open for both lunch and dinner, happy hour here is 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
You’ll find both traditional and specialty beverages at
Our Paladar Restaurant & Bar
(20 Fourth St. SW). Among their many choices is a” weekly cocktail of the moment,” corresponding to the season. Recently, the drink combined cranberry juice, chai, lemon and a splash of bourbon. It earned rave reviews.
Several bar tenders work together to bring “fun and seasonal” beverages to the drink menu said Ivy, one of the team.
“Right now we are focusing on lighter fall spices and flavor, pumpkin, cranberry and apple, with heavier spices and flavors coming up closer to the holidays,” Ivy says.
As several others do, they make all of their syrups and juices which go into both the alcohol and non-alcohol beverages. One of the most popular beverages is the Butter Me Up, a sister to an old fashioned. Smoke and Spice, a version of a margarita, is also popular. Happy Hour is every day from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with an $8 Daiquiri special.
How about the Stubborn Donkey? (216 First Ave. SW, upstairs from Bebap Korean Eats). If the name isn’t enough to draw you in, the drink selection and ambiance will be. Here it’s more of a Latin vibe reflected in drinks featuring selections with tequila and mezcal. Also offered are prohibition-style drinks, a variety of martinis and house-made sodas.
Small plates including cheese curd wontons and steak bites, as well as other small bites and tapas complement the drink menu.
The bar and eatery too makes its own syrups and juices as bartender Mateo said, “to make our offerings as fresh and delicious as we can.” Try the El Capitan, their version of an espresso martini and The Don, their version of an old fashioned. It’s recommended to go early since seating is limited and customers tend to linger.
Because Stubborn Donkey is a new business and because of the downtown issues, the place is open just Fridays and Saturdays, 5.p.m. to midnight. They hope to add additional days soon.
Post Bulletin food writer Holly Ebel knows what’s cookin’. Send comments or story tips to
life@postbulletin.com.
Post Bulletin food writer Holly Ebel knows what’s cookin’. Send comments or story tips to life@postbulletin.com.
Dining and Cooking