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Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/537558
www.cheersonline.com 38 • July/August 2015 SCENE By Kelly A. Magyarics It sounds simple: open a cocktail bar inside your distillery, and shake and stir your house-made spirits and others to mix up inventive cocktails. But it's not quite that easy in some states. Coming out of the wine industry in Pennsylvania, Adam Flatt was aware of the challenges with the state's liquor board. So when he opened craft distillery and cocktail bar Social Still last year in Bethlehem, PA, he came equipped. "If you come from another industry, it might seem im- possible. But because of my family business, we had the tools in place to get past the challenges," Flatt says. Pennsylvania law prohibits any bar operated by a distillery to serve any alcoholic items that are not pro- duced in the distillery. That includes the wines Flatt's family makes at nearby Franklin Hill Vineyards. So Social Still staffers create upwards of 20 spirit in- fusions at any given time, which are mixed with other legally permitted ingredients (read: juices and mixers) for what the bar deems its "Impenetrable Cocktails." "We ask our chef about flavor combinations, and we ask our staff about their favorite flavors," says Flatt. "Sometimes we roll the dice and try something out of the blue." The most popular combos include the rosemary-, thyme- and cucumber-infused gin, which is mixed with fresh lime juice and simple syrup for The Herbalist cocktail ($11); the jalapeño-infused vodka, which can be mixed with pineapple juice, mint-infused syrup, lime juice and club soda for the Jalapeño Heist ($10); and hopped gin, which is shaken with grapefruit syrup and lime for The Hopper ($11). The menu is ever-changing, based on the availability of seasonal ingredients and the whim of the bar staff. The American-style tapas kitchen includes small plates such as the Ahi Tuna Martini ($12), tuna tartar, toasted sesame seeds, wakame salad, apples, wasabi foam and wonton chips. Large plates include a bourbon barbeque A BETHLEHEM, PA-BASED MICRO-DISTILLERY AND COCKTAIL BAR WOOS GUESTS WITH CUSTOM INFUSIONS SOCIAL STILL SETS UP IN FORMER BANK The bar at Social Still in Bethlehem, PA, gives guests a view of the distillery's gleaming copper gear.