Where do I park?

We have decided to dedicate some time to a question we get asked quite a lot: where do I park?

The answer to this question is, it depends on the night.  On weeknights, we recommend parking on Lapham Boulevard.  There are generally plenty of spaces next to Bryant’s or across the street. 

On a weekend, the Lapham Boulevard spaces fill up fast.  Most people’s first instinct is to drive down 9^th to look for parking.  This is not the best idea.  Many residents of this neighborhood don’t have off-street parking (garages weren’t that popular in the 1890s), so they will be competing with you for the limited number of parking spaces.  Plus, 9^th street is strangely dark and hard to navigate. 

Instead, head ½ block south of Bryant’s on 9^th Street.  There is an amazing, huge, well-lit parking lot that is owned by the city.  There are over 250 parking spots in this lot.  Park here and walk the ½ block-

it is the easiest place to park.

The history of this parking lot is interesting for those who remember when the city wanted to turn Mitchell Street in to a walking mall, as was popular in the 1970s when suburban malls were rapidly becoming the preferred shopping centers.  The idea was to close off main urban shopping streets and raze the buildings adjacent to the shopping street to create large parking lots that would appeal to shoppers.  The results were not good and most of the stores on Mitchell Street closed during the 1980s, leaving only the remnants of a bad idea.  The last department store on Mitchell to close was Goldmann's Department Store, which used this lot until 2007 when it finally closed its doors (on a side note, as of 11/9/2013, the Goldmann's building is for sale- you should buy it and help us bring back retro Mitchell Street!).   

We hope that someday shoppers will again flood to Mitchell Street for Christmas Shopping and holiday cheer, but for now there are plenty of parking spaces for you and all your friends!

November Cocktail of the Month: The Great Pumpkin Drink

Here at Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge, November always marks the beginning of our favorite time of the year- the Holiday Season.  The fall crisp air, the festive parties, and (of course) the cocktails.

The Great Pumpkin Ice Cream Drink
Only $5 during Old Fashioned
Cocktail Hour!

This is the time of year we start moving away from the clear spirits of summer in to the dark spirits of winter.  ‘Tis the season of Whiskey, Brandy, and Calvados, mixed with amaros and spices most commonly associated with winter dishes and desserts.  Who doesn’t like the flavors of cinnamon, cardamom, and clove on a cold snowy day? 

The most exciting holiday drinking tradition is when we take these traditional flavors and mix them with ice cream, creating the most delicious Wisconsin pastime- the ice cream drink.  During the winter months grasshoppers, brandy alexanders, and cherry benjamins become as popular as popular as scarves, hats, and those funny little furry boots. 

For our November Cocktail of the Month, we have decided to go 100% in to the Holiday Season and offer our Great Pumpkin Ice Cream Drink for a very special price during Old Fashioned Cocktail Hour.  No subtlety here- just pure pumpkin goodness, ginger, and spices mixed with the finest ice cream.  And as always we top our ice cream drinks are topped with homemade whipped cream. 

Stop in for Old Fashioned Cocktail Hour, from 5-9 Tuesday through Thursday to get our small Pumpkin Ice Cream drink for only $5.  Ice cream not your thing?  We have over 45 other cocktails on special for half price.    

October Cocktail of the Month: The Milwaukee Manhattan

We love cocktails named after places.  The Manhattan, the Fort Point, and the Jamaican are all great drinks.  Heck, even the Long Island Iced Tea makes us a little warm inside.

What makes place cocktails so delicious?  We figure it’s because you are thinking of a great place while at the same time sipping on a delicious drink.  How can you not think of the brick lined Thames Street while sipping on a White Baltimore?  Or is it possible to not think of the sun soaked beaches of Waikiki while sipping on a Hawaii Kai?

Our October drink of the month is named after the most special place of all: Milwaukee.  The Milwaukee Manhattan is a fine mix of Jameson Irish Whiskey, sour cherry, and sweet and dry vermouths.   So why does this drink signify Milwaukee, you may ask.  The answer is seeped in symbolism.  First, the Milwaukee Manhattan is essentially a play on the perfect Manhattan, which is traditionally rye whiskey, and sweet and dry vermouths.  Milwaukee, we feel, is also a play on the perfect Manhattan- a quirky place that seems odd and out of place, but is in fact perfect. 

 

The sour cherry flavors are symbolic of the Italian immigrants that give so much character to the east side of Milwaukee, living in perfect harmony with the Irish whiskey of the Upper East Side.  A melting pot, a mishmash, and a hodgepodge that, once is mixed together, becomes a perfect mix of flavors.  This, my friends, is Milwaukee.

If you want to taste a drink that is as perfect and quirky as Milwaukee, this month is your chance to try the Milwaukee Manhattan for only $6 during Old Fashioned Cocktail Hour from 5-9 Tuesday through Thursday.  

Cocktail of the Month: The Amelia Cocktail

For September, our Cocktail of the Month is the Amelia cocktail, a vodka-based cocktail that is a play on the famous classic cocktail, the Aviation.  While few of our classic cocktails utilized vodka as a base (in fact, vodka used to be thought of as a cheap liquor more suitable for the drunkard than the sophisticated cocktail drinker), we believe the Amelia is a great cocktail for our vodka loving patrons who are looking for a citrusy cocktail that is more complex than a cosmopolitan.  In fact, if you are apprehensive about trying classic cocktails, or if you don’t know where to start, we believe this is the perfect cocktail for you. 

The Amelia is named after one of the most famous pilots of all time, Amelia Earhart.  For those of you who don’t know, Earhart was the first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic in 1928 and was a well-loved pilot, author, and pioneer of women’s rights in America.  She famously (and some people say mysteriously) disappeared over the Pacific Ocean during her attempt at a trans global flight in 1937. 

In 1938, when Bryant’s first converted his little tavern in to a luxurious cocktail lounge, the world was infatuated with the adventurous Amelia Earhart and her disappearance the year before.  The search teams were still looking for her and many were hopeful that she would be found somewhere alive and well.  After all, how could someone who captured the hearts and minds of a country simply disappear?

We like to believe Amelia Earhart is still alive in the spirit that drove America to recover from the Great Depression and to survive a brutal World War.  In fact, this spirit of adventure and exploration is probably what drove Bryant Sharp to take a risk on his new venture.  We can say with certainty that we are glad he did. 

So, when you sip the Amelia Cocktail, please sip with a spirit of hearty exploration and adventure.  If you are new to classic or craft cocktails, we encourage you to take a risk and try our cocktail of the month.  It is only $6 during Old Fashioned Cocktail Hour, Tuesday through Thursday from 5PM to 9PM.