Article by Nadira Grubbs with photos by Fitz
(Lead photo of Bartender Mark Beyer at Venture Kitchen)
With an emphasis on handcrafted cocktails while reintroducing the concept of ‘home being where your booze is,’ Venture Kitchen distills seaside flavor from classic cocktail concepts. I am no stranger to bellying up to the bar. Red lipstick applied and false eyelashes firmly in place, I head over to Venture for the paradoxical pain/pleasure of a high class bender. The inside is softly lit with enough wood grain to make you comfortable having more than just a ‘drink with dinner.’ This drinking session is brought to you by an occasional contributor to Southern Grit Magazine and Mark Beyer, the head bartender, whom tantalized me with the promise of sweet surrender to the lures of Bacchus. Between Scylla and Charybdis there I am, sampling three of Ventures signature cocktails and attempting to write a review. Atla’s powers of regeneration alluded me and I wound up dangling from the cliff of coherence with just my fingers. My impulsiveness is your gain. Here’s an honest, up close review:
First up, The Elderflower Cocktail (above): A gin cocktail that is light and perfumed with elderflower scent. Herbaceous and yet ethereal. It tastes like a summer time with your grandma. The El Diablo (below left): This drink showcases the spiciness of reposado tequila. A well balanced cocktail, ginger beer is an unusual but perfect finish. It is a lover’s bite on a flushed lip. Barbados Triangle (below right): This drink was crafted with Creeper Plantation rum with vanilla caramel notes but balanced with lime―extremely refreshing. This was my least favorite cocktail. It tasted like Madonna’s fake British accent. Great essentials but needing a higher quality rum to make it authentic.
Mark is inspired by the classics; he would rather build off of the tried and true, only then tailoring for the palate of his customers. His signature is depth―this is the man with a plan. No newcomer to beverage cultivation, Mark is passionate about alcohol. He takes getting us drunk seriously. Mark is elevating cocktails in downtown Hampton, without the pretensions but with all the fun.
The drink menu is crafted with downtown Hampton drinkers in mind and Mark aims to please. Consistency is difficult with handcrafted cocktails, and that is where Venture struggles as it has a less-than-stable staff of bartenders. As the staff line-up solidifies, so will the consistencies in quality and taste. Bar etiquette: look at the cocktail menu before you order a blue motorcycle.
Side note: As I drink from the river Lethe and enjoy downtown Hampton, the owner of Venture Kitchen, Carlyle Bland, walks in and we have a mini-chat about how Venture emerged from an idea into a brick-and-mortar reality. Venture Kitchen’s birth was the brainchild of Bland’s wife, Christina. She picked the location and came up with the concept of tapas, pizzas and cocktails. Bland also owns another downtown Hampton favorite, Marker 20. His success as a restaurateur has been thirteen years in the making and he’s ready to take some chances. Venture’s name and concept reflect that readiness to voyage further than the standard. These Argonauts have something for everyone… not pretentious, but accessible and adventurous.
For more on Venture Kitchen visit:
No Comments