“When we opened in Downtown Jacksonville in 2016, our goal with the tasting room was to create a sense of place within our community and give guests a relationship with our spirits through hospitality. Thanks to recent developments within Florida’s craft distilling laws, we can now fully realize that vision by creating a destination cocktail bar that delivers an exceptional, full-service experience,” said David Cohen, Co-Founder and President of Manifest Distilling.
The Cocktail Room will serve a rotating menu of craft cocktails, created with Manifest Distilling’s signature spirits: non-GMO potato vodka, Florida citrus vodka, organic gin, barrel-aged gin, Florida botanical gin, organic rye whiskey and 100% rye whiskey, along with a host of spirits that are only available for consumption on-site at the distillery. Ben Golden and Corey Gros have been appointed as Beverage Managers to lead The Cocktail Room’s menu development and operations. Together, they bring more than 12 years of bar management experience to the new venture.
“Our menu reflects a modern minimalist approach that allows the flavor of our spirits to shine,” said Golden. “Each recipe is carefully designed with the base spirit in mind to offer the guest a unique sensory experience. We want The Cocktail Room to be a place to expand your palate and experience the care that goes into every Manifest product.”
The Cocktail Room’s debut menu showcases a variety of classic cocktails, ranging from a Highball and Milk Punch to an Old Fashioned and Flip. Menu prices will range from $8 to $12. Guests may also order mixed drinks and tasting flights of Manifest Distilling’s signature spirits. Pre-packaged cocktails and craft cocktail ice will be available for purchase.
The Cocktail Room will present live music weekly, starting with its grand opening on September 3 and continuing with Jazz Night every Thursday in September. Programming will be curated by Ulysses Owens, Artistic Director of Don’t Miss A Beat, a local nonprofit that aims to blend music art, academic achievement and civic engagement for children and teens in the Brooklyn, Riverside and Woodstock communities. Owens is a Jacksonville native and professor at The Juilliard School in New York City.
Manifest Distilling has long been committed to giving back to the Northeast Florida community. The opening of The Cocktail Room presents an opportunity to expand the distillery’s charitable giving program. Throughout the month of September, a portion of all sales from The Cocktail Room will be donated to LIFT JAX, a nonprofit composed of business and community leaders working to eradicate generational poverty in Jacksonville. Proceeds will support LIFT JAX’s ongoing efforts to implement the Purpose-Built Communities model in the Eastside (Out East) neighborhood.
“When businesses invest in the neighborhoods they serve, everybody benefits,” said David Garfunkel, President of LIFT JAX. “Manifest Distilling’s support of LIFT JAX’s mission adds to its longstanding commitment to improving our local communities. We’re proud to stand by their side as we aim to bring meaningful change to the Out East neighborhoods.”
The Cocktail Room will be open from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. every Wednesday and Thursday, and 2 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
