The Cocktail List For Third Rail, Hitting Dogpatch This Fall

As Magnolia Brewery gears up to open its monstrous brewery-restaurant this July, the neighbors are also closely watching a nearby address: 628 20th Street, the former home of ReTox, which will be coming back as Third Rail this fall.

Co-owned by Range chef-owner Phil West and his bar manager Jeff Lyon, Third Rail aspires to be—in Lyon’s words—a “high caliber neighborhood cocktail bar” and also “the kind of place that won’t make you feel weird for ordering a vodka tonic.”

West is still deciding what snacks will be offered, but the bar menu is coalescing. This morning, I caught up with Lyon—who has been at Range for an impressive six years—to find out more about the drinks to be served from the soon-to-be 15-seat Paxton Gate-designed bar.

While Range has made a name for its very seasonal, culinary minded drinks, Third Rail won’t have a kitchen to make any cocktail ingredients, creating a perfect excuse for Lyon to dive into more spirituous drinks, and the more obscure ingredients he’s passionate about. Absinthe, sherry, mezcal, shrubs, syrups, and bitters were all mentioned on our call.

The beverage menu will be fleshed out further with local wines on tap, four draft beers, and six or so bottles. And to answer your question, yes, a Magnolia brew will probably be in the house. Without further ado, the cocktail menu. Note that most drinks will go for $10:

Summer Drinks

SEASONAL
Straight Flush
Rhum Barbancourt, blackberries, Cocchi Americano, lime, bitters

Ranger
Plymouth gin, celery, mint, tonic, lemon

Southern Belle
Bulliet bourbon, roasted peaches, hazelnut, vanilla bitters, lemon

APERITIF
Spotlight
Perucci dry vermouth, Gran Classico bitter, seltzer, orange

Good Neighbor
Sutton Cellars vermouth, Chinotto, lemon

Done & Done
Sparkling wine, grapefruit, Krongstad aquavit

CITRUS
Third Rail
Buffalo Trace bourbon, Lillet, honey, lemon, orange bitters

Tally Ho
Death’s Door gin, Yellow Chartreuse, ginger, lime

Oaxaca Sour
Del Maguey Vida mezcal, lemon, orange, agave, egg white, grapefruit bitters

BOOZY
Conquistador
Fortaleza blanco tequila, La Gitana manzanilla sherry,Benedictine, chocolate bitters

The Sermon
Cerbois armagnac, amontillado sherry, Apricot brandy, aromatic bitters

Mount Tam
St George Terroir gin, Dolin dry vermouth, Gran Classico bitter, bay leaf

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