Thursday, January 10, 2013

Merchant | Madison


A casual, hip vibe and welcoming energy, live music and local food, where dark modern furnishings and industrial iron barstools are met with damask wallpapered columns and walls of liquor for sale; Merchant is definitely somewhere you'd want to drink a Carolina ($10) and eat Charred Bone Marrow ($14) regularly if you lived in Madison. 


The bone marrow is striking with parsley butter, lemon marmalade, shallots, and grilled bread, and the aforementioned drink is an eclectic blend of Torres Brandy De Jerez, Grape cocoa nib shrub, lemon juice, Bittercube cherry bark vanilla bitters and Cava. The cocktail menu here is extensive and ingredients are fresh and intriguing, take the Smoking Barrels ($10) with Redemption Rye, maple syrup, angostura and pipe tobacco tincture as another stellar example.


If you can't decide, the bartenders are happy to create on a whim, the coupe glass pictured with Makers Mark, Aperol and St Germain is straightforward and still ideal. Madison seems well in tune to the craft cocktail scene, but no where elevates the drink quite like they are doing here. A night spent at Merchant should certainly be a good one. 

9 comments:

  1. that st. germain / aperol drink is right up my alley!

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  2. that first drink sounds so unique! kind seems like playing dress-up... with cocktails :)

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  3. I love having bartenders get creative! You have found some good spots in Madison

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  4. I love places that can make a mean cocktail! This place looks awesome.

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  5. I want that St-German drink! I feel like I need to add Madison to my list of places to visit.

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  6. Madison seems really cool. Who knew?!

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  8. I love the look and sound of that cocktail menu!

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  9. What lovely cocktails. Looks like another great Madison spot!

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