The Royale Bar and Grill, Tavern and Restaurant

Cocktail Museum Sundays
This week only… a matinee! 4pm-midnight

So we’ve been doing this Cocktail Museum thing for about three months now, but some of you insist that, “it’s past my bedtime,” “I have to go to school,” “I have to visit my Grandma at the leper colony,” and other suchlike nonsense. This Sunday none of that applies, because we’re starting at 4pm, just for you! Our menu today has one drink each from most of our menus to date, some of which you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere, so you can revisit your favorites or catch up on what you’ve missed. Also, museum regulars should note there will also be a few new drinks available at the bar after the kitchen closes (9pm), with our more typical happy hour pricing. Those are listed at the end of this message.

- Early Days of American Boozedom -
Hot Toddy $8
Along with the Julep/Smash, one of the defining tipples of the 19th century and an effective electioneering tool for many a founding father. Your choice of scotch (Laphroaig 10yr) or brandy (Cles des Ducs VSOP Armagnac), with boiling water and pure cane lump sugar. Simple, but so thoroughly warming and life-affirming that it could make an atheist wonder if maybe there really is a plan to the universe after all.

Whiskey Cocktail (Old-Fashioned) $5.50
Rittenhouse rye whiskey, potent Fee’s Old Fashioned bitters, ice, pure cane lump sugar, splash of water, lemon twist, and a spoon. Simple, but so satisfying that this ur-cocktail has endured for nearly two centuries. All that business with the orange and cherry is thoroughly modern and at odds with the less-is-more spirit of the cocktail. A booze haiku!

Gin Sling Cocktail $6
Hayman’s Old Tom gin, club soda, lemon juice, sweet vermouth, and Old-Fashioned bitters, on the rocks. A late 19th century British update on the humble sling that hits the nail on the head.

- More Morning Drinks -
Corpse Reviver no. 2 $8
Fog-cutters, Morning Glories, Fizzes, Revivers, Brace-Ups, Gloom-Lifters, Eye-Openers… they didn’t have Alka-Seltzer or Excedrin back in the day, so much of the barman’s craft had to do with concocting potions to ease the over-hung. Here’s one of the finest: Plymouth gin, Lillet Blanc, Cointreau, lemon juice and a dash of absinthe, up.

Crushed Strawberry Fizz $8
A Fizz is meant to be “drunk without hesitation,” as many of the old manuals say, unlike its nearly identical cousin, the Collins, which is to be lingered over (a Fizz is always shaken and served without ice, a Collins is built in the serving glass and on the rocks). Muddled strawberries, simple syrup, Hayman’s Old Tom gin, lemon juice, club soda.

Ramos Gin Fizz $10
Along with the Sazerac, the most iconic of New Orleans’ drinks, and it remains a popular brunch drink in the city to this day. Carl Ramos’ original recipe: Hayman’s Old Tom gin, cream, half a lime, half a lemon, egg white, orange flower water, sugar, club soda, up. Please be patient; this drink takes a while to assemble and must be shaken hard for a good amount of time to properly emulsify.

- Sours & Coolers -
Hemingway Daiquiri $8 (or Papa Doble $16, limit one)
What a liver that guy had. The original sugarless Daiquiri, as prepared for Papa at Havana’s La Floridita bar: Ron Matusalem Cuban-style rum, maraschino liqueur (not like the cherries!), ruby red grapefruit juice, lime juice, crushed ice. Our default is a half-size portion, but if you want the full monte, we’ll serve you a Papa Doble with a full five ounces of hooch in it.

Jack Rose $6
A wonderful sour based on that most American of spirits, applejack (apple brandy). The very first licensed distillery in the USA was Laird’s, creators of the spirit, and they’re still in business today. Laird’s applejack, lime juice, grenadine, up.

Joe Rickey $6
The original version of the drink, as Joe himself preferred it. Colonel Rickey was a Confederate veteran from Missouri, inveterate financial speculator, gambler, a very active Democratic lobbyist in the 1870s and 1880s, and his drink was the fad tipple of that time. Rittenhouse rye whiskey, lemon juice, club soda, on the rocks.

Paloma $6
You’d think the Margarita was the only drink one could make with tequila, but there are some others. This one is particularly popular in Mexico: El Viejito silver tequila, lime juice, salt, and Squirt, on the rocks.

- Out of this World -
Captain’s Blood $7
An early 20th century cocktail much enjoyed by our patrons. Scarlet Ibis rum, Falernum (syrup with flavors of almond, ginger, lime peel), lime juice, Angostura bitters, up.

Goat’s Delight $7
This one is so exotic we were a little afraid to serve it, but most people really loved it. Kirschwasser (dry cherry brandy), cognac (Martell VSOP), cream, orgeat (almond syrup), and a dash of absinthe, up. Hail Satan!

Weeper’s Joy $9
By the “Only William” Schmidt, an exceptionally creative late 19th century stickman: absinthe, kummel (cumin/caraway/fennel liqueur), sweet vermouth, and a little Grand Marnier, up. “A trainwreck on the page, but tastes like an angel’s tears.” – David Wondrich

- After 9pm -
Jungle Bird $6
A wonderful, lesser-known tiki drink: pineapple juice, Gosling’s Black Seal rum, Campari, lime juice, sugar, on the rocks.

Singapore Sling $7
Gin can be exotic, too! As prepared at Singapore’s Raffles Hotel, created in the early 20th century by barman Ngiam Tong Boon. Pineapple juice, Beefeater gin, Cherry Heering liqueur, lemon juice, grenadine, Cointreau, Benedictine, and a dash of Angostura bitters.

Tour of Scotland $10
Know thy spirits! And kneel before the awesomeness that is Ardbeg! Sampler of 1 ounce drams including Springbank 10yr (Campbeltown), Dalwhinnie 15yr (Highland), and Ardbeg 10yr (Islay).