Milwaukee, Bay View, Part 3

On to dessert! So, here’s the thing, since the north end of Bay View touches the Mitchell Street neighborhood, we could not help but to stop at my favorite bar in the world, Bryant’s. Now, the Lounge Lizards know Bryant’s well, of course, but the darkened, fedora-loving, classic cocktail bar doesn’t always have its upstairs Velvet Lounge opened up. On this night, though, we were in luck.

The Velvet Lounge wasn’t as dark as the downstairs given the window awnings facing Lapham Boulevard were open, so we took a seat by the window. Since it was desert time and we were in the Velvet Lounge for the first time, we thought it best to experience another first- the world-renowned Pink Squirrel. 

Bryant’s invented the decadent Pink Squirrel 70-odd years ago. The ice cream drink sports a super sweet, nutty flavor and probably like a zillion calories. Served in a hurricane glass, the Squirrel is a perfect ending to a day’s worth of drinking. Bryant’s won’t tell you how to make it, but we’ll give you the secret…

Drink: Pink Squirrel

Establishment: Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

First Connoisseur: Cindy and Holly

1 ounce crème de noyaux

1 ounce white crème de cacao

3 small scoops of premium vanilla ice cream

Add all ingredients into a blender; blend until smooth. Serve in a hurricane glass.

Now, I guess we could have ended it there, but how can you only have one at Bryant’s? So I asked for a palate cleanser and was offered a Graveyard Cocktail, which I had to accept on name alone. Now, as I said before, Bryant’s isn’t going to give you the recipe, but if I had to guess, the Graveyard is a mix of whiskey, caraway, and lime.

After the second round at Bryant’s, we went on the lookout for after midnight food (the Odd Duck’s small plates didn’t support hours of drinking!). We drove back through Bay View enroute to our hotel in Cudahy. On the way we found The Metal Grill (closed down now, but reopening sometime in 2019). The music venue was rocking a live cover band tearing their way through a bible of old school 80s glam metal. We grabbed some chow off the grill and washed it down with a double 7 & 7. Pure metal.

The running total of my drinks in Bay View/Mitchell/Cudahy-

-An Odd Duck #34

-A Fuller’s London Porter

-An oak-casked bourbon old fashioned sweet

-A Pow-Wow sazerac

-A cherry amelie cocktail

-A pink squirrel

-A graveyard cocktail

-A double 7 & 7