Minneapolis, Part 1

We love that cities are revitalizing their old factory areas into art and entertainment districts. From Oklahoma City’s Bricktown, to Old Sugar in Madison, to Red Hook’s Widow Jane, America’s cities far and wide are converting their industrial and shipping areas to cocktail clubs and breweries. One of the best examples of this is the mill and warehouse districts of Minneapolis, where, slowly, abandoned buildings, one-after-another, are trading in their mill status for sophisticated cuisine and smartly-crafted libations.

We scoured the warehouse district for some of these tasty treats and found that our first destination was pretty darn hard to find- Marvel Bar. Despite its huge acclaim in bar circles, Marvel is a true modern speakeasy. If you use Google maps to find it, you still might not find it. It involves going to the Mississippi riverside at the end of the bar’s block under the Bachelor Farmer cafe, going down a flight of stairs on the outside and through two signless doors.

Once in, Marvel is almost as nondescript as the outside. It’s small with a few funky chairs surrounding short tables; its only distinctive feature is their golden maneki-neko forever beckoning cocktail lovers toward their next liquid treat. Marvel’s bar travels the entire length of the room with three barmen working so furiously concocting cocktails or cracking ice that it prevented the smallest of talk. We started with Marvel’s most famous drink, the Oliveto. The Oliveto is a velvety mixture of olive oil, egg, lemon, and liquor that lives up to its reputation. Though its recipe looks challenging (both in pour and in taste) to the novice cocktail drinker, it is not as intimidating as it appears; it only entails a couple of shakes and it tastes like lemon meringue. Yummy! That recipe is below:

Drink: Oliveto 

Establishment: Marvel Bar

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

First Connoisseur: Cindy

2 ounces dry gin

1 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice

¼ ounce rich simple syrup (2:1)

¼ ounce Licor 43

½ ounce full-bodied extra virgin olive oil

1 fresh egg white

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker in preparation for a dry shake. Shake hard, without ice, for about 20-30 seconds to emulsify the egg white and olive oil. Add ice to the shaker and shake again for 20 more seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe.

Of course, we couldn’t leave Marvel without trying a few more cocktails. And although we don’t know the proportions of these, they do make for interesting combinations if you are an amateur mixologist! Strongwater: a mixture of Farigoule (French thyme liqueur), Carpano Antica Formula vermouth, Marvel’s own select Old Scout 8 year bourbon, Maison Rouge, and water. The Oakenshield: salt, Cynar, Toschi Nocello (Italian walnut liqueur), Isle of Skye 8 year scotch whisky.

Hot Toddy

Coronavirus. Ugh. We may not have a cure yet, but thankfully, we have some boozy remedies for respiratory ailments. Tonight looks like the last freeze of the 2019-2020 cold season and we’re all spending it in quarantine. So the Hot Toddy to the rescue! So what’s so great about the Hot Toddy? Well, for one, it’s old; it’s been healing Scots for about 300 years. The drink is also easy to prepare when you are sick and hard to screw up (if you do, it’s probably because you added too much lemon- add more honey to fix it).

The best part about the Hot Toddy, though, is that it really does help you through your cold symptoms. One, it has some Vitamin C from the lemons. Two, honey is antibacterial and soothes throats. Three, the heat of the Toddy itself acts as an expectorant, thinning your breathing passages. If you are worried about the alcohol, don’t be; most doctors are okay with an ounce and a half of spirit a day, even if you have a cold. So, a toast to your health (literally)!

Hot Toddy

¼ ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1 bar spoon of  honey (about ¼ oz)

4 ounces boiling water

1 ½ ounces whiskey (we like Stranahan’s)

Combine all ingredients into a warmed mug or Irish coffee glass and stir to dissolve honey. Traditional garnishes include lemon peel, cinnamon sticks, and/or star anise. If you want to be fancy, stud your citrus peel with whole cloves.