On the Menu: Grand Army

Welcome to On the Menu, where we explore what makes a bar’s menu unique, intriguing, and all-around delicious.

When Grand Army opened in Brooklyn in 2015, the aim was to be a welcoming neighborhood bar that simply felt like an extension of a friend’s living room. That is, if your friends regularly shuck raw oysters and serve a cheeky lineup of well-made cocktails. From the outset, the bar team—comprised at the time of industry vets like Damon Boelte (also co-owner), Katie Stipe, and Devin Kennedy—created cocktail menus crafted to a theme, from “State Parks” to “Spice Girls.”

Nearly a decade later, Grand Army (which was also our 2017 Bar of the Year) has fully earned its place as a beloved neighborhood joint, and the bar program, now led by Patty Dennison, continues to be as playful as ever. We sat down with Dennison to explore the bar’s newest “Grand Ole Army” menu theme and how the whole process comes together.

PLAYING TO THEME

On two seasonal menus per year, for almost 10 years, Grand Army has created cocktails that align with a theme. “When the bar opened, it was just one of the fun, cheeky aspects,” says Dennison. “I think it inherently makes us more approachable and fun. Going to cocktail bars can still be an intimidating experience for people; there is going to be stuff on the menu that you’re not going to know what it is or understand, and that’s okay.”

Choosing themes that are familiar from pop culture or nostalgic creates an immediate connection for guests—a way to be in on the joke. It also allows the bar team at Grand Army to craft high-level, thoughtful cocktails that still feel accessible. “It’s just silly in a fun way,” says Dennison. “I mean, if you want to talk about how we make our in-house, agar-clarified, orange-passion fruit-ancho soda that we carbonate here, then I’m happy to. But overall the bar is a safe space and just fun from the get-go.”

TAKE THE STAGE

Inspired by the Grand Old Opry, the new cocktails get creative with country music’s roots. “The Backwoods Barbie is for Dolly Parton. We had to do a Dolly Parton drink,” explains Dennison. “I also want the drink to be pretty and classy, because it’s Dolly Parton and she’s the queen, so maybe we do a Martini-style drink. And then, frankly, being super cheeky, we put melon in it because she has big boobs, and I think everybody knows that. So we made a blush pink melon Martini.”

The “Ain’t Woman Enough” is a refreshing mezcal highball referencing a Loretta Lynn song. Bartender Dillon Brown wanted to utilize as many woman-owned and made products as possible, incorporating Yola mezcal and Xila, a mezcal-based spiced liqueur. The “Folsom Prison Blues” is an Old Fashioned variation, with rye, Irish whiskey, coffee, and coconut. “We use a teaspoon of Malibu [coconut rum] in it, and it really ties everything together in a cool, complex way,” Dennison says. “It tastes like you’re eating an Almond Joy.”

BAR & D

So which comes first, the theme or the drinks? “I don’t want anyone to go into the process with a drink in mind. It’s better that you don’t have anything in mind. Instead, we do thorough research and find elements within the theme and connect a drink to that,” Dennison explains. “Once you already have a drink in mind, and you try to connect that to the theme, it’s a lot more challenging.”

But, of course, the challenge is part of the fun, and drink selection is still driven in part by demand. “Stylistically, there are always going to be drinks we’ll have on the menu,” says Dennison. “There will be some sort of Negroni variation and a Martini variation. Our spicy Margarita is always popular, and for this theme we have a spicy mango Margarita called ‘Clothes Fall Off,’ which references the song ‘Tequila Makes Your Clothes Fall Off.’ But it’s still a thoughtful drink—we’re using mango in three different spirits: a mango eau de vie, a mango liqueur, and a mango-chili black lime liqueur. It’s a really good spicy marg. We’re gonna give the people what they want.”

Both the themes and the drinks are a collaborative effort of the entire staff. “For this winter, I don’t know what the theme will be yet. But we do have a running list,” says Dennison. “It’s often friends or just people who come into the bar that will have an idea, and sometimes I keep those in my back pocket.”