New cocktails at Underbelly and the Hay Merchant, plus more restaurant news.
Chef Chris Shepherd’s Underbelly and sister craft-beer emporium the Hay Merchant now have a liquor license and have launched cocktail programs at the formerly beer/wine-only restaurants.
The Hay Merchant began its cocktail program last week, to be followed by Underbelly’s dip into spirits Sept. 4. The cocktail programs are being run by Westin Galleymore, a former Anvil Bar & Refuge bartender who helped open Shepherd’s One Fifth Steak and then moved over to act as spirits director for Underbelly and the Hay Merchant.
Galleymore has created a list for the Hay Merchant that includes tap cocktails, stirred classics and two frozen offerings. His tap selections are intriguing: Trade Winds (white and navy rums, Madeira, smoked grapefruit and lime); Ric Flair (bourbon, Sierra Nevada Ginger Bigfoot, turbinado sugar, Angostura bitters); Hipster Juice (Campari, Fernet Branca, Jeppson’s Malort liqueur, lime cordial); H-Town Slammer (house Southern Comfort, sloe gin, orgeat, lime and orange soda); and Green Geisha (gin, lime and matcha).