Late Harvest Kitchen Bartender Wins Tanjerine Competition
Tanjerine’s spirited mix-off competition Wednesday night, held in a rehabbed former church building, kick-started its four days of events.
While most of Indy’s cocktail connoisseurs have been so preoccupied with brown-liquor-this and absinthe-that from the bar chefs at Severin, The Libertine, and Bluebeard, a couple of local entrepreneurs have been preparing to mix things up with a mixology-focused place just a tad further north. How far north? Almost road-trip north: try downtown Noblesville. Dave Pumphrey and John Manley have recently purchased the Conner Station on the square at 917 Conner Street. The bar will be renamed Copper Still and will get a fresh makeover, inside and out. They’ve tapped Brad Gates Catering to consult on the food. “Expect back-porch food, but better,” says Pumphrey. The menu’s still being rolled out, but the owners tell IM that dishes such as Carolina barbecue, corned beef, and cole slaw will be available.
If the idea of tropical drinks brings to mind kitschy brightly colored liquors poured from spinning slushie machines, take note: Hyper-serious drink fanatics Zach Wilks and Greg Wilson of Wilks & Wilson (212 W. 10th St., 317-294-2890, wilksandwilson.com) have launched a line of syrups that pay these beachfront classics their due. Their six organic infused elixirs can make any home mixologist feel confident enough to jump behind the bar and shake it like Tom Cruise in Cocktail.