South on Main has always done a fantastic job of capturing the spirit of a season in their cocktail lineup. As the temperatures change so does the cocktail direction.
What happens, though, when South on Main itself sees a season of change? Turns out the cocktail program accurately reflects that too.
Over the years we have scene South on Main go from a food first restaurant to adding more live music programming. It certainly is not a live music first venue, but it is a carefully crafted hybrid of frequent live music sets featuring artists that somehow pair magically with their always great food. It is easily the best of both worlds, and the cocktail menu reflects it beautifully now.
While South on Main is certainly not a smoking joint, the new Coffee and Cigarettes cocktail will take you back to the smokey bar scenes we all grew up listening to music in. The drink starts with rye and cognac, then adds caffe amaro for a coffee flavor and lemon to round things off. Then they use a tobacco infused sugar on the rim of the glass to give it a deep, rich, cigar like nose as you sip.
The Two Passport Stamps is another one that takes you on a journey, this time to listen to some of South on Main’s across the pond influences like the recent John Willis cover session of Radio Head. It is a slow sipper with mezcal, pasubio, and aperol as the base.
Very frequently the music turns a bit soulful and southern. You will find this in a big way during the upcoming Wildflower Revue curated series starting in May. The new Bourbon Pecan Lemonade could not be a more perfect pairing of southern sound and southern flavor. It starts with bourbon (naturally), then adds pecan syrup and a lemon. It is a perfect balance of sweet and a little wild just like one of the curators of the series Amy Garland Angel.
Along the same line is the Beekkeeper that uses tequila, cocchi americano, cassis, and finishes with honey and lemon. It becomes this beautiful deep purple cocktail that belong perfectly in the south. Along those lines is the Green Derby which is a take on the traditional Brown Derby famous at Churchill downs. It uses bourbon and branca menta as a base along with sugar, mint, and lemon for a clean finish. The Brown Derby is an option on the menu as well.
Of course, this is at the end of the day the South on Main you always love. some old favorites like Evening in Missoula, Sweet Potato Lemonade, and others are still available. They also do great takes on traditional cocktails like their Phil Collins, which is a take on a traditional Tom Collins.
South on Main has certainly grown up as a location, and shifted in unexpected directions. It is always good to see the cocktail and food menus keep up with the change.
