Brunch Cocktails @ Finch & Fork

The already glamorous brunch at Finch & Fork has become even more self-pampering with an updated menu of inventive new drinks by bartender Joe Dohany. Narratives in a glass, each cocktail evokes a classic kind of breakfast experience — the breakfast in bed, the rock-star hangover — making for fittingly sophisticated sips alongside rich items such as the roasted pork belly and egg.

Some, such as the Stinger ($13) of cognac and crème de menthe, are updates of 100-year recipes, standing strong alongside Finch & Fork standbys, such as the excellent Delayed Flight ($12), a Greyhound update. But Dohany’s creative intelligence really shines in the Channel Island Iced Tea ($13). With mezcal, Kahlúa, passion fruit, and Red Bull, it’s a playful rendering of his friend’s preferred breakfast of “a smoke and a Red Bull” and will rocket up your morning the right way. The mezcal provides the smokiness, while the passion fruit complements the energy drink’s sweetness, and the Kahlúa gives it a hint of bitterness, like a nice afternoon iced tea. A musician dining companion said it evoked the memory of “every boy in a band I ever dated — in the best way.”

The Breakfast of Champions ($12), though, is Dohany’s master work. A sumptuous blend of bacon-washed bourbon, pecan syrup, and peach bitters, it’s as warming and relaxing as a log cabin bed-and-breakfast meal, and best for those who like their Sunday mornings leisurely, luxurious, and lavish.

(805) 879-9100, 31 West Carrillo Street; finchandforkrestaurant.com