OnTheTable: American-Prohibition Cocktails, World-Class Service

Brooklyn’s On Boulder

110 E Boulder St.

www.brooklynsonboulder.com

Hours: Wed: 4pm-10pm, Thurs/Fri/Sat: 5pm-12am

Drink Prices: $8-$10

What you need to know: Springs’ only speakeasy, and only gin distillery, where cocktails are classic and service impeccable  

The modern reinterpretation of the speakeasy has swelled in popularity over past years; to the extent that having one marks a certain stratum of cultural gentrification within a city. Since 2015 Colorado Springs has enjoyed its own speakeasy-stratum in the form of Brooklyn’s on Boulder. Hidden behind the facade of a gentlemen’s haberdashery, this not-so-well-kept secret happens to also be the gin distillery, Lee Spirits—crafters of multiple gins, including lavender and tobacco iterations done in, as they state, “the prohibition way,” with one caveat: “Our regulars aren’t gangsters…we think.”

Brooklyn’s “House Rule” no. 1: “Do not bring anyone here you wouldn’t take to Grandma’s for Sunday dinner.” This is a classy joint. “We do not have Jägermeister or Red Bull or Fireball,” proclaims rule no. 7. It’s gin and gin alone.

In the days leading up to Christmas, Brooklyn’s offered a seasonal menu whimsically based on the Twelve Days of Christmas (all the way from the “Maids a Milking” to the “French Hens”). The ambiance of yuletide cheer was accentuated by the “Geese a Laying” and its subtle sweetness (furthered by the inclusion of bee pollen) reminiscent of the “Pink Lady,” yet with even more, elegant complexity.

With a promoted hashtag of #DrinkMoreGin, at Brooklyn’s one can always order a proper martini (clean, with substantive body surpassing inferior gins). After experimenting with a purchased bottle of Lee’s Spirits’ classic gin, it became clear that the greatness of the martini lies in the exceptional character of this gin: complexly floral, herbaceous and clean.

In a subsequent visit this side of the holidays, on a Thursday evening not long after the start of business hours, the bar was nearly empty and the tasting room’s high-backed couches were still empty. The standard menu was back, boasting a “Smoker Friendly” that demanded pensive attention as its smokey weight lingered upon the pallet.

When a particular favorite, the Pink Lady cocktail, was found constructed in a fashion incommensurate with past visits, the bar staff voluntarily took it upon themselves to rectify the situation. After two earnest attempts it was discovered that we had grown accustom to the original, 1937 iteration of the Pink Lady (gin/grenadine/egg-white), as opposed to the alternative, more contemporary version that includes lemon juice, more grenadine, and less egg white. The marked difference in flavor profiles belied the seemingly scant alteration of ingredients, and demonstrated the attention to detail required of great barkeeps—of which, Brooklyn’s has in spades.

Once this innocent discrepancy was discovered (all to the credit of the bartenders’ attentiveness) very quickly the 1937 version of the Pink Lady was delivered to the table. What may have otherwise been a disappointing experience, morphed into a superb display of service, and a mixology education surely missing at lesser establishments.

Brooklyn’s 1937 Pink Lady

• 1.5 oz. Lee’s Spirit’s Gin
• 0.5 oz. Grenadine
• 0.75 oz. Egg-White
• Shake with ice until whites froth thickly; strain; serve “up”

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