Jim Crandall has taken the reins behind the bar at Molly’s in Soulard. A former bartender at the recently shuttered Sleek, Crandall’s style is all about “meeting in the middle,” he said. A case in point: the cocktail menu that he developed for the Soulard establishment. Crandall’s menu syncs with Molly’s NOLA vibe while including a diverse base of spirits that resonate with a range of palates.
An outstanding choice from the menu is the Bijou Blanc, made with Bombay Sapphire, Yellow Chartreuse, Dolin Blanc Vermouth and fresh lime. Crandall mixes a frothy fruit-filled Clover Club (Plymouth English gin, raspberry syrup, sugar, egg white, lemon and a raspberry garnish), while Vanilla Sky, a Crandall original, is luxurious and complex: smoky from new-to-the-scene Compass Box Spice Tree malt scotch whiskey, herbal from Yellow Chartreuse and a couple dashes each of Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters, and smoothed over with vanilla syrup.
Spirits lovers with a tendency toward spontaneity should check the chalkboard behind Molly’s newly renovated bar for a short list of what Crandall dubbed “Cocktails of the moment.” “It’s a place for me to try things out or to use ingredients in short supply,” he explained. One of those of-the-moment libations to order is Pope’s Orchard (pictured), a heavenly drink built from 7-year Flor de Caña rum, Benedictine, apricot liqueur and The Bitter Truth’s Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter bitters, as well as peach bitters. As Crandall put it, this pit-fruity drink proclaims, “Winter is still here but summer is on the way.”
This article appears in March 2011.