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Photo by Ash Daniel
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Photo courtesy of The Rogue Gentlemen
Artwork by Jessica Hische
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Photo courtesy of The Rogue Gentlemen
Artwork by Eliza Childress
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Photo courtesy of The Rogue Gentlemen
Artwork by Holly Camp
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Photo courtesy of The Rogue Gentlemen
Artwork by Noah Scalin
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Photo courtesy of The Rogue Gentlemen
Artwork by Katie McBride
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Photo courtesy of The Rogue Gentlemen
Sami Cronk at work in the Rogue Gentlemen
A sophisticated squirrel wearing a striped scarf puffs on a pipe, drink in hand. That’s what artist Katie McBride was moved to draw while sipping on the “Prize Fighter,” a minty cocktail at The Rogue Gentlemen. What — don’t you think of dapper, anthropomorphized critters when drinking fancy booze?
This fall, The Rogue Gentlemen introduced a new type of cocktail menu to showcase owner John Maher’s seasonal creations: a hardbound book featuring different artists’ illustrations for each of his 28 drinks. The idea came from friends Chad Cariano and Conor Dooley, who work together as Condie + Condie, a side project in branding and advertising that they formed to help fill a creative void. They approached Maher to get some experience pro bono.
Inspired by New York restaurant The Dead Rabbit’s graphic-novel-style cocktail menu, Maher suggested rethinking his menu. Cariano, “a geek on anything craft beer and cool labels,” says they wanted to create a sort of label for each drink. They invited artists to come in, enjoy a cocktail and a meal at the bar, and illustrate what came to them on a blank coaster.
“Sometimes, they would take the drink’s name or the inspiration really literally, and translate that into what they were creating,” Maher says. “Sometimes it was really abstract … and they went really weird with it.”
That seems to apply to Eliza Childress’ illustration for the drink named “Brinner,” made with Rittenhouse rye, Averna amaro, coffee bitters, egg and chai tea simple syrup. Childress says, “I was transported into another realm, conjuring the ice cream cones in space and reflecting on his helmet ... it was an exquisite combination of flavors and a journey into a world previously unknown to me.”
What resulted was a collection of coaster art, which was photographed by former head bartender James Mielnicki and printed along with descriptions in a book available for purchase. The artists got to keep their coasters — and the bulk of the rights to their work, something McBride says isn’t always the case with nontraditional payment (such as bartering with food and drinks).
“It was a real pleasure to participate in, and it’s very cool to be among a group of artists with so much scope and so many different styles.” McBride says. “This kind of project is a total testament to how dense the talent pool in Richmond is across a lot of different disciplines.” Other artists include Noah Scalin, of “Skull-A-Day” fame; Doug Orleski, better known as RVA Coffee Stain; and Tyler Thomas, who participated in last year’s Richmond Street Art Festival.
There are 13 cocktails that are available through November, along with five that rotate monthly. After November, a new winter menu will arrive. Maher says the cocktails reflect his experience as a chef, with savory components like smoke (using a tool called a Smoking Gun), or a vinegar-forward cocktail featuring fig marmalade.
“I hope that when [customers] sit down at the bar and we hand them this really beautiful bound book to poke through, that’s gonna be the start of their time here,” Maher says.
