Cheers

January 2015

Cheers is dedicated to delivering hospitality professionals the information, insights and data necessary to drive their beverage business by covering trends and innovations in operations, merchandising, service and training.

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www.cheersonline.com 37 January/February 2015 • SCENE the meal, but lately more customers have been coming in just for drinks. The wine list, which includes about 120 selections, changes frequently. It focuses on small-production, qual- ity offerings from the world's great regions—with a few added that Brazil don't think get enough credit in the U.S., such as Lebanon's Bekaa Valley and Croatia. The by-the-glass pours pair with chef Matt Bolus's daily menu. One thing guests can't order at The 404 Kitchen is vodka. "People told me that I was crazy," Brazil says, "but we seem to be doing okay with our focus on whisky, rum and gin, so perhaps Nashville's bar scene is able to be- come more adventurous and even specialized." PINEWOOD SOCIAL With a bar, coffee bar, bowling area and outdoor pool and recreation space, the 200-seat modern American cuisine-focused Pinewood Social has something for every- one—including killer cocktails. "There are some 'lay-ups' and there are some drinks on there for the more experi- ence 'craft' cocktail drinkers," says Matt Tocco, beverage director for parent company Strategic Hospitality. Pinewood Social overhauls its drinks menu of around 20 selections twice a year, though it gets tweaked at other times throughout the year. One standout cocktail is the Negroni variant A Stranger in the Alps, with Junipero gin, Carpano Antica, Luxardo Bitter, Braulio and Clear Creek Douglas Fir eau de vie. Another popular drink is the Daisy-inspired House of Bourbon, with Four Roses Yellow bourbon, Licor 43 liqueur, lemon and Fee Brothers black walnut bitters. Vodka cocktails are most popular among guests, who may come to the bar after work, before or after dinner, or to sip a beverage while they bowl. The Life is Easy mixes Prairie vodka, lemon, ginger ale, Regan's Orange Bitters and a hibiscus clove syrup. All cocktails are $12, except for coffee-based con- coctions like Easy Like Sunday Morning ($8), with Palo Cortado sherry, Fernet Branca and demerara. The approachable and user-friendly wine lists offers four each of whites, reds and sparkling wines and one rosé by the glass, as well as 36 bottles. "[We have] mainly qual- ity wines that are accessible to the masses, but also a few gems for the more advanced wine drinker," says Tocco. Nashville's bar scene is bright, Tocco says. "We are definitely starting to get more and more bars/restaurants that are doing quality drinks. I don't find that very sur- prising, as it seems to be the natural evolution of drinking these days." Kelly Magyarics, DWS, is a wine, spirits and lifestyle writer and wine educator in the Washington, D.C. area. She can be reached through her website, www.kellymagyarics.com, or on Twitter or Instagram @kmagyarics. In addition to cocktails, a coffee bar and outdoor pool, Pinewood Social includes a bowling area. Pinewood Social's drinks menu is overhauled at least twice year; vodka drinks are the most popular among guests.

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