Step into the lobby of Bar Virgile on a Saturday, and you’ll likely be met by some spillover from the bar. It’s a hot night for downtown’s new cocktail locale. The space is cozy at 41 seats, but the wait staff is attentive and will help you find a nook to fill, whether it’s in one of the impressive banquette booths or front and center at the bar. Wherever you’re sitting, the view is impressive – the former Citizens National Bank annex has been refurbished with items discovered in the space. Old boiler system parts now adorn the walls and the back bar; a countertop is made from reclaimed wood; the textured bar front was once a roll-up door that’s been cleaned and painted. But we’re not here to talk about the decor – we’re here to drink.
“Classic cocktails are classic for a reason – they stand the test of time,” says co-owner and general manager Daniel Sartain. It was a joint effort among Daniel, a former Nana’s Restaurant manager, Nana’s chef/owner Scott Howell and his wife, Aubrey Zinaich-Howell, to open the bar, which is named after Scott’s grandfather, Virgil. “We have a focus here to do classic cocktails to … re-introduce them to a community that might have forgotten how these are done the proper way.”
A popular option is The First Word, a spinoff of one of the team’s favorite cocktails, The Last Word. A quarter ounce of homemade honey syrup is mixed with half an ounce of fresh grapefruit juice, three quarters of an ounce of the Italian aperitivo Aperol, then an ounce and a half of dry gin. Mixed and poured into a chilled coupe, the drink is topped off with a little cava and an orange twist. The grapefruit and gin take the forefront of a sip, with a lingering taste of honey – ideal for a spring evening. Daniel sums the concept up nicely: “If you like the taste of dimension and flavor and what happens when you combine gin with these aperitivos and digestivos, this is a good place for you to explore some cocktails.”
Ed. Note: This article first appeared in our April 2015 issue.
