Across the state, bartenders and mixologists constantly innovate new combinations aimed at different flavor profiles, seasons, and ingredients. Here are a few of the best drinks sliding down Oklahoma bars this season.

at Stir Social Club in Harrah

In the midst of the COVID-19 lockdowns, Chad and Christy Wimer got the notion to expand their Harrah coffee shop, Simple Brew, into the space next door. Their idea: give the town a different kind of bar. The Wimers knew Harrah needed a relaxing lounge spot with craft cocktails and local beer, which led to the creation of Stir Social Club.

One of Stir’s best-loved drinks pairs the coffee shop’s fresh roasted espresso with vodka, KahlÚa, and simple syrup for the Simple Brew Espresso Martini.

“We start by chilling the glass right in front of customers, then we add Deep Eddy vodka and simple syrup,” Chad says. “We can substitute a flavored syrup if someone wants chocolate or caramel, but most people prefer it plain.”

Next comes a splash of KahlÚa, which adds a creamy sweetness, and the shop’s signature espresso. Finally, it’s garnished with a trio of coffee beans.

“One thing about our Espresso Martini is that you’re never going to get a dead shot,” he says. “We keep the espresso machine running, so we pull a fresh shot every time. It makes a huge difference.”

at Zannotti’s Wine Bar in Stillwater

“I think of Oklahomans as a bunch of hummingbirds,” says Zannotti’s Wine Bar General Manager Carlie McGrew. “We all like sweet stuff.”

That was the inspiration behind Zannotti’s Peachy Pyrat—a rum beverage that boasts a pop of sweetness while still being alcohol-forward, McGrew says. It took nearly a month of testing and tasting before it was finished, and now, it’s one of the restaurant’s most popular cocktails.

While many bars and restaurants are concerned with turning tables and keeping a steady flow coming through the doors, McGrew says the atmosphere here is quieter and a little more private. Since opening in 2008, Zannotti’s has built a roster of regulars who like to come in for a drink or two to sip while picking at the restaurant’s variety of charcuterie boards and shareable plates of duck nachos or brie en croÛte. The drink menu has the same feel—beverages that are meant to be savored slowly rather than guzzled. The Peachy Pyrat survived at least one menu change, but even if it’s not explicitly available on the menu, it won’t be going anywhere, McGrew says.

“We added it last fall, and it stayed through the next summer,” she says. “If it doesn’t stay on the menu, you can still order it.”

at Palace Rooms Lounge in Bartlesville

When Adrienne and David Kallweit first moved to Bartlesville in 2021, they were immediately struck by the city’s classic style, but the property that most caught their eyes was the Palace Rooms, a series of loft apartments that sat uninhabited for nearly sixty years.

To create Palace Rooms Lounge, a classic speakeasy-style bar and restaurant, they turned to their son and head bartender, Canaan Kallweit, who was inspired by the book Killers of the Flower Moon to create the Flower Moon cocktail.

“I wanted to make something that looked harsh, like whiskey, but was actually sweet and easy to sip,” Kallweit says. “It’s really an all-year-round drink, good for hot and cold months.”

Made with amaretto, orange bitters, soda, and the black raspberry flavors of Chambord over a large ball of “moon ice,” the Flower Moon has a hint of bitterness that keeps the sweet liquors from overpowering the palate. And for another masterful touch, the drink is garnished with orange zest and an edible flower from Ragtag Resilience, a local organic farm tasked with providing many of the ingredients for Leonardo DiCaprio’s personal chef during the filming of the movie.

“It’s unexpected and smooth,” Canaan says. “This isn't something to down in one gulp, but it won’t take an hour to finish either.”

at The Daley in Oklahoma City

Hidden within Frida Southwest in Oklahoma City’s Paseo Arts District is a small whiskey-focused bar called The Daley. The bartending staff, including mixology maven Colby Poulin, go above and beyond to bring patrons drinks that will change the way they look at cocktails.

“The Fruits of the Earth, like all the cocktails at The Daley, are named for and inspired by the paintings of Frida Kahlo,” says Poulin. “We want consumers to have a deeper interaction with the cocktails, and there’s a whole interactive aspect when you get to drink a cocktail while looking at and learning about the art that inspired it.”

A cobbler-style cocktail, The Fruits of the Earth begins with a split base of Pierre Ferrand cognac and Pinhook rye mixed with a mango purée, pineapple and lemon juices, honey, and Maggie’s Farm Falernum, which is a sugarcane liqueur. It’s garnished with fresh fruit, a sprig of mint that opens up the airways and prepares the customer to taste the many facets of the cocktail, and powdered sugar that gives it a frosted appearance.

“We want our spirits to shine. This is refreshing, but we also want you to know there’s alcohol in these drinks,” he says. “The Daley is more spirit driven, and we design our drinks so people can taste the nuances of the cognac and the spice of the rye.”

It’s easy to drink but hard to explain, which brings guests back for another glass at The Daley.

at The Jones Assembly in Oklahoma City

A great cocktail can be a moving experience, but at The Jones Assembly in Oklahoma City, Beverage Director Charles Friedrichs and his team design drinks that transport customers to a specific time and place.

“We look to evoke experiences with our drinks,” he says. “The Porch Swing is designed to put you in the sunset moment of a warm summer night.”

When he and Scott Marsh, the restaurant’s director of operations, began playing around with the Porch Swing, they wanted to capture that lazy, restful, end-of-the-day feeling that Oklahomans remember. That might be a glass of bourbon or sweet iced tea, Friedrichs says, so they put them both in the drink.

A Porch Swing starts with a blend of Old Forester 86 Proof bourbon, Pimm’s No. 1, and pear brandy. Lemon, peach, lavender, black tea, and the fizzy pop of ginger ale round out the cocktail, giving the concoction a perfect summertime cooling sweetness.

“After we took that first idea of bourbon, iced tea, and Pimms, it was down to tweaking the recipe,” he says. “The lemon, the pear, all those little changes are tested again and again until you get the balance and layered flavor just right.”

at Belt40 Cocktail Lounge & Kitchen in Eufaula

If there’s a star of the show at Eufaula’s Belt40 Cocktail Lounge & Kitchen, it’s the mixologist, says co-owner Rowe Nelson.

One of the resident cocktail-slinger’s most-loved libations is the Strawberry Basil, capturing a whirlwind of competing flavors and transforming them into a cocktail that keeps guests coming back for more. Muddled fresh strawberries and basil join freshly squeezed lemon juice, which adds a tart, clarifying note, while vodka and Luxardo give it a boozy punch. Finally, a splash of soda water imparts a bubbly effervescence that marries the disparate flavors. It’s an assertive cocktail, but those who love it really love it.

“I think for some people, one is enough. But we also have a lot of people that will have a couple of them,” Nelson says.

And if they want something new and different, the mixologist is standing by ready to create the next great palate pleaser.

at Valkyrie in Tulsa

We’ve crafted this database of drinks—somewhere around five hundred drinks—we can suggest and make at any given time,” says Harris McCulloch, part of the Cocktail Committee at Valkyrie in Tulsa. “Every new drink we add, we’re trying to make something unlike what we’ve done before.”

While the Bee’s Knees cocktail has been around since Prohibition, Valkyrie’s version—the Whimsical Bee’s Knees—steers this classic concoction right through the herb garden for a drink that’s refreshing, sweet, and complex.

“A lot of places do a lavender version, but we wanted something different that still has that herbal flavor,” McCulloch says. “So we infused the gin with butterfly pea flower and used a honey-sage syrup.”

It’s the butterfly pea flower that gives the cocktail its striking matte purple color. Infusing it into a Nordic-style gin—Aalborg Taffel Akvavit, in this case—adds notes of caraway seed.

“This is for people who want those bright, herbal flavors and a drink that doesn’t necessarily taste of alcohol outright but has a hint,” he says. “It’s a light, summery type of drink.”

It’s a good starting cocktail for guests who have a hankering to dig deeper into that massive drink database, he says. Once the bartender gets an idea of what a customer likes, the options are nearly endless.

Written By

Greg Elwell

Greg Elwell served as research editor and web editor of Oklahoma Today from 2018-2023. He also has worked for newspapers, medical research organizations, and government institutions.