Craft Cocktails at Bacchus

[iraethan]

A thread was started here in Heartland Dining, about distil, a bar concept developed by myself and my Bittercube partner, Nick Kosevich. We've distanced ourselves from the investor to focus on the consulting side of our company and have landed at Bacchus in Milwaukee, as some people have posted. Just wanted to start a new thread about Bacchus.

I just wanted to update the eGullet community on what we're doing...

We took over the bar program at Bacchus around 10 weeks ago. We developed a Winter Cocktail Menu that has been in place for seven weeks. We've been continually brining in new products and slimming what was already behind the bar. I was shocked moving from Chicago to not see the Hous Alpenz line as well as some other essential spritis and liqueurs. But we've made due pretty well, stocking the bar with a number of amari, liqueurs, and American whiskies.

We've got some unique things behind the bar. We were able to procure some of the Buffalo Trace antique collection and have been making Thomas Handy Boulevardier's, William Larue Weller Manhattan's and the like. We also special ordered Peychaud Bitter's, Cynar, and Regan's Orange Bitters.

Please come in and see us. We'd love to do a bitters tasting with our five Bittercube Bitters, as well with the products we've had special ordered. The Winter Cocktail Menu will run through March, so time is limited before we change over to the Spring Menu. We've put some really unique syrups, as well as Bittercube liqueurs and tinctures on menu, and of course we're juicing daily.

We've already had a couple of eGulleter's come in, which has been great! We love talking to people as passionate as we are about cocktails. The cocktail menu is available in the dining room as well as the bar. One thing of note is that Bacchus is now open late on Thursday's, Friday's and Saturday's, with cocktails and small plates. The music is a little louder, the vibe a little more relaxed, the room a little darker. The perfect cocktail atmosphere!

[Salty]

Sounds great - will be there soon!

Salty

[kathryn]

Stopped in at the bar at Bacchus twice on a trip last week. Both Nick and Ira of Bittercube were there -- Nick was bartending one night, Ira a few nights later. Super nice guys, who took great care of us and Ira let us talk his ear off and didn't kick us out even though we were the last ones in the room (thanks Ira!). They have some great stuff on the menu and recently added a number of summer cocktails.

Particularly liked the Summer G & Tea (Green Tea Infused Death's Door Gin, Lemon, Summer Honey Syrup, Seltzer), a different take on a gin and tonic. Refreshing. My companion remarked "I could drink this all night!" Nice on a hot summer night, as was my Milwaukee Mule (Roaring Dan's Rum, Lime, Ginger Syrup, Bittercube Jamaican Bitters, Seltzer). Refreshing, crisp, gingery. They also do a lovely pisco sour with Bittercube Blackstrap bitters. Very very frothy (they do a dry shake first) and delicious! My Hemingway Daiquiri (Appleton White Rum, Grapefruit, Lime, Luxardo Maraschino) was also delicious and I might try replicating it at home, soon. There were more drinks but I can't recall any others oddly enough!

Ran through a number of the small plates menu items, too, on our two separate nights there. Olives which were good but pretty standard fare. Spinach risotto fritters (tasty but but a bit heavy for the weather). Excellent Asian-inflected tuna tartare. Lovely warm foie gras, too, but I'm a sucker for a french toast + foie + maple syrup combo: sweet, savory, fatty, carb-y. Duck confit rillettes were also good and served with an excellent mustard choice. I just wish the plates were a little bigger.

Came home with some of their bitters as well, which I'm excited to use! And a great place downtown to sneak away from the in-laws for a delicious cocktail -- especially one that ISN'T a brandy old-fashioned or a vodka tonic. I've always enjoyed dining at Bacchus but now I'm tempted just to hang out at the bar all night!

[KD1191]

Found ourselves in Milwaukee for the weekend and spent another late Friday night at the bar at Bacchus. We've known Ira since he was part of the crew at the Violet Hour and have always greatly enjoyed his cocktails and conviviality. His style respects the classic, while improving and improvising as best he can (which is frequently quite a lot). We met Nick much more recently, but he got the best of us rather quickly, as the 21st Century he crafted on this trip made my wife swoon.

The Bittercube line of products continues to grow...acquisitions on this trip included their Lemon Tree bitters, as well as updates to the Orange (best representative of the style I've had) and Bolivar (what I reach for when Angostura is specified). They've branched into liqueurs, with Orange, Cocoa Nib (amazing with Fernet) and Creme de Flora available. They also make Kola Nut Syrup and various other liqueurs and tinctures for use at Bacchus.

The Cordoba (Fernet, Kola Syrup and Muddled Limes) and Summer G&T were both delicious and well balanced entrées to the evening. The first alternatingly reminiscent of a Cuba Libre and Fernet & Coke, elevated over either...the second a refreshing tweak of a classic. By comparison, The Cudahy, a Brooklyn riff with Death's Door White Whiskey & Amaro Nonino was a hefty main course, packing a wallop, but letting each flavor play its part. An off-menu Creole Cocktail (Rye, Punt e Mes, Benedictine and Amer Picon), a Savoy classic, was as amazing as it was the day Ira introduced me to it...and still my favorite mixed drink.

We also tried some Appleton Estate 21-year (I'm not typically a Jamaican Rum drinker, but that stuff knocked my socks off) and the aforementioned 21st Century (Death’s Door Gin, Lillet Rouge, Lemon and Cocoa Nib Liqueur topped with Cocoa Nib Tincture). Their house-made Cranberry liqueur was also spectacular, balanced with the addition of some herbal notes whose source left me momentarily speechless.

Small bites at the bar are well priced, but nothing really stood out amidst the excellent drinks.

Edited June 28, 2010 by KD1191 (log)

[kathryn]

Unfortunately, Bittercube's 6 month residency at Bacchus is now over. They are, however, ramping up their line of bitters for greater production and will hopefully land at another restaurant, soon.