Daily Blog
Thursday, 05 November 2009 08:11
Written by Justin Fischer

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Right now, you can count on one hand the number of bars in town where you can get a truly great cocktail. Come month's end, you may need to open the other hand. Chef/owner of el Willy, Guillermo Trullas Moreno is trying his hand at a craft cocktail bar named (quite appropriately, we might add) el Coctel. I sat down with general manager Marty Campaign (formerly of Glamour Bar) to hear about this new project and have only one question: "Can you please open sooner?"

If what Campaign says isn't just hype, this place will be an exciting addition to the scene. For starters they've recruited some serious talent. The bar manager is a transplant from Ginza, the cocktail Mecca of Tokyo. Moreover local martini master Tree Mao (formerly of The Vault at Laris) will also be manning the shakers. Much of what you'll see behind the bar will be hand-crafted on premise: fresh-squeezed juices and purees, hand-chipped ice globes, homemade bitters and vermouths. Campaign even has a line on cinchona bark from a supplier in Yunnan and plans on brewing his own tonic water!

But don't worry, it won't just be a hovel for cocktail geeks (like me). Moreno will be playing a hand in the bar snacks--lots of imported goods from Spain like preserved tuna belly, Iberico ham and fine cheeses. Music, Campaign assures me, will be at a level that allows conversation--a huge relief! Size wise, it's small enough to be intimate, yet big enough that you'll likely be able to sit (about 85 seats). But here's the best part: location. Around the corner from Boxing Cat from one direction, Tara 57 and JZ from the other, down the street from Kiitos, and two floors up from Shelter. Now that sounds like one hell of a pub crawl!

Expect a soft opening around the end of November.

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