Storybook Sipping

I’m all for raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, but cocktails and books truly top the list of my favorite things!

Checking out the literary-themed libations at the Manor Bar — the cozy, library-inspired cocktail lounge at the Rosewood Miramar Beach — has been on my wish list for months, but my tight schedule only recently allowed a perusal through the pages of their customized Cocktail Chronicles.

The comfy leather armchairs and couches, roaring fire, walls filled with leather-bound volumes, and ocean view create a welcoming space on their own, but the cleverly imagined, gorgeously illustrated cocktail menu bumps the bookish fantasy up even further.

Then there are the 12 signature cocktails, described in glorious detail in an illustrated, leather-bound book of their own, and each with a uniquely custom-made vessel, featuring glassware by 3D Vault, that takes the stories even further up the realm of the fantastic. Remember those adult collectible action figures that became so popular a few years back? (The $1,000 Jabba the Hutt figure on preorder right now, for example.) These custom cocktail enclosures are kind of like that, only they actually are functional beyond the fantasy factor!

Just like a great book can transport you to a far-flung destination, these cocktail concoctions are designed to spark the imagination, as well as tickle the taste buds. Director of Bars Eliza Hoar — whose impressive background has taken her from New York to Aspen, San Diego, and Boston, and includes a spot on Esquire’s Top Bars list, and a Top 10 placement in the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards — was on hand to greet us and make a few recommendations for the evening. She started with the map overview, which instead of the North-South-East-West designations, cleverly uses the Bitter–Savory–Spirit Forward–Refreshing descriptors to guide you to the cocktails best suited to your favorite flavor profile.

After some questions about my usual preferences, I went for the refreshing and somewhat savory side of the menu first with the Center of the Earth, a visually stunning and gustatorily satisfying cocktail made of The Lost Explorer mezcal, Dolin blanc vermouth, Chinese five-spice, watermelon, pistachio, and lime — all served in a retractable globe, surrounded with otherworldly light from within, and decorated with an assortment of crystals and mushroom figurines to represent the early elements beneath the surface. The vibrant watermelon hue of my drink added to the composition, as it was also there to represent the magma at the center of the earth.

Accompanied by nicely rendered sci-fi fantasy illustration was the menu’s literary description: “Descending through endless caves, I discovered a world where time had stopped. Before me stretched an underground sea, glowing with an otherworldly light, as prehistoric creatures swam slowly, studying me in silence. On the shore, I found that a stone pulsed like a hidden heart within the rocks. As I held it in my hands, an ancient energy coursed through me, revealing that this stone was the key to moving forward.”

Hard to resist, right! Each of the 12 cocktails has that same incredible level of attention to detail.

We “moved forward” to sample Atlantis next. Firmly on the savory, spirit-forward side of the menu, this cocktail of Macallan Amber Meadow scotch, umeshu, pear, plum, and sea salt also glowed from within, with an eerie green glimmer lighting a vessel with ocean-like waves, resting atop a glowing Atlantis, and some ancient tales to tell.

Like the best of literature, our first two cocktails also had another level of fun added to them — the Blah Blah Blah king-sized ice cubes, whose etched design is a nod to Mel Bochner’s “Blah Blah Blah” painting on view in the bar. Fun fact: our server shared that most, if not all, properties in the Rosewood brand have specialty designed ice cubes as well.

The legend and golden elixir of Camelot was next up, a royal concoction of Redbreast Irish whiskey, sherry blend, Mr. Black coffee liqueur, cinnamon, pineapple, and lemon, this refreshing and savory blend’s custom vessel looked like a tower from the legendary castle itself, and was definitely fit for a queen.

Last, but certainly not least, on our literary cocktail journey that night was Looking Glass Land, an Alice-inspired adventure made from Hendrick’s Gin, verjus, passionfruit, and cucumber (definitely refreshing) and housed in an intricate floral jewelbox, whose walls came down to reveal a chessboard and a most delectable drink. Bring on the croquet flamingoes, this was definitely a drink fit to calm the red queen.

Like the temptingly large “to be read” pile of books by my bedside, I can’t wait to come back and try out the Manor Bar’s other eight themed literary cocktails.

There’s also another reason to come again soon. They’ve recently launched a new partnership with Godmothers Bookstore, the Godmothers Literary Society at The Manor Bar, which includes a monthly speaker series, a quarterly book club (first up is The River’s Daughter by Bridget Crocker, with a date yet to be announced), and daytime reading hours with a curated selection of titles to browse, borrow, or purchase.

See bit.ly/4m8nWyB for more information and the complete menu for The Manor Bar, Rosewood Miramar Beach, 1759 South Jameson Lane, Montecito.