Paulius Musteikis
Craft cocktails are alive and well at Oliver’s Public House, 2540 University Ave., under bar manager Ricky Pajewski. The menu has been updated since the restaurant’s opening by Pajewski and a new crop of bartenders.
It’s heartening to see the variety. The famous Penicillin cocktail gets a top spot. While this drink makes frequent appearances around the globe, surprisingly few Madisonians know it. All peaty, with a honey-ginger backdrop, it’s worth seeking out.
Paulius Musteikis
Ricky Pajewski
Another underexposed classic is a genius riff on the Negroni called the Jasmine. Herbaceous gin and bitter Campari meet, and are joined by sweet Curaçao.
Originals include the cleverly named “Oaxappens in Oaxaca,” a smoky number on tap that is a little spicy from a house-made cayenne pepper tincture. Not to worry — there’s plenty of cooling Lillet Blanc and grapefruit to round it out.
“Skylar’s Number” is full of spice: vanilla from bourbon, cardoons from Cardamaro, a little cinnamon from a house syrup, and a tasty salt-roasted apple shrub to bring it all together. If you remember, Skylar was Minnie Driver’s character in Good Will Hunting. In a famous scene, Matt Damon gets her number in a bar over a haughty Harvard student. He then asks his adversary: “How do you like them apples?” Turns out, quite a bit.
