3 New Cocktail Menus to Try, Including One Very Legit Mezcal Bar

A Crunch Berries-inspired cocktail from Hundred Proof | Photo courtesy of Trust Restaurant Group

Whether your thing is craft margaritas, tasting scads of mescal varieties, or drinking sprits with a side of Crunch Berries, these new establishments are worth checking out.

Cereal Killin’ It

Known for its elevated bar fare, University Heights’ new hotspot Hundred Proof, from the folks who brought us Trust, is trying to appeal to the kid in all of us. How else can you explain a new brunch cocktail menu crafted around—what else?—cereal? Called “Saturday Morning Cartoons,” the cereal-infused beverages, the brainchild of mixologist Stephen Kurpinsky, sound almost as fun as a Thunder Cats marathon in your favorite pair of PJs.

Brace Yourselves, Mezcal Devotees

Those who can’t get enough of tequila’s smokier cousin, take note: A 2,000 square foot restaurant and mezcal tasting room is opening in Old Town this fall. Located next to Cemetery of El Campo Santo, Tahona will offer 120 varieties of mezcal plus cocktails made with the spirit, as well as something they’re calling “mezcal meditations” and a mezcal club. For even further enlightenment, the establishment will arrange mescal-tasting trips to Baja and Oaxaca.

New Life at Death by Tequila

Our beer-centric border region has a conspicuous dearth of Mexican craft beer. Which is why it’s refreshing that this new Baja-inspired restaurant in Encinitas will serve them, along with Mexican wine and a menu favoring “locals only.” But that’s just the start. They’re also pouring 100 tequilas, 30 mezcals, and a modern cocktail menu where some drinks—we’re still wrapping our heads around this one—sport the restaurant logo airbrushed on with bitters.

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And, sure, it’ll be poured into a myriad of fruity fruit juices, fresh squeezed with falernum and all kinds of tropical spices, as per mandated by rum lore. But it’s also going to become the new bourbon—sipped neat, or at least in a spirit-forward cocktail in the style of Manhattans or Old Fashioneds.

Can’t wait to see our feature? Start now with the Rum Old Fashioned at Kettner Exchange.

“We aged mezcal in one of our barrels behind the bar, just to coat the barrel,” says bar manager Steven Tuttle. “After it’s coated, we put a Chet Baker rum drink in there. Most people have never had anything like it. Most people aren’t drinking too much rum in general right now. But bourbon drinkers want to explore rums to try something different.”

This Rum Old Fashioned is Hamilton’s 86 rum, Demerara Rum (produced in Guyana near the Demerara River with top-notch sugarcane), Hamilton’s sweet vermouth, mole bitters and then finished with honey. The mole bitters gives it a Hawaiian Punch-red hue, and a garnish of grapefruit peel gives it a nice acidity on the nose.

“Most rum drinks are going to have that sweet flavor profile,” says Tuttle. “But a little bit of the smoke from the mezcal helps balance it out.”

Rum is coming. Prepare for it.

The Rum Old Fashioned at Kettner Exchange.

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