St. Augustine in a New Light

Cocktails by local mixologists inspired by the spring season featuring St. Augustine Distillery spirits

To celebrate our exhibition St. Augustine in a New Light: American Impressionism from the Collection of the Lightner Museum, we’ve partnered with our friends at the St. Augustine Distillery to create a series of spring-themed cocktails artfully crafted by local mixologists. Enjoy a cocktail made with world-class spirits from the St. Augustine Distillery, inspired by the bright colors and bold palette of the Impressionist artists featured in our exhibition.

The second cocktail in the series is titled Painted Bells and was created by local mixologist Zach Ramsey. We’ve paired the drink with Frank Shapleigh’s painting of St. George Street, where the six-story bell tower of the Cathedral Basilica can be glimpsed in the background.

Painted Bells

Fresh Florida fruits and locally produced spirits mingle to form crisp, bright flavors that celebrate the diversity brought to St. Augustine by spring travelers exploring our historic city each year.

INGREDIENTS 

  • 1.5oz St. Augustine Distillery Florida Cane Vodka
  • 1oz fresh strawberry puree
  • 0.75oz fresh lemon juice
  • 0.75oz honey
  • Muddled cucumber
  • Crushed black pepper

DIRECTIONS 

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake well. Pour into glass over pebble ice. Garnish with cucumber and crushed black pepper. 

About the Mixologist

Zach Ramsey, Bartender at Odd Birds Bar Social Media Handle @zachramsey

How did springtime in St. Augustine inspire this cocktail? 

Spring in St. Augustine draws crowds of people from every corner of the country and the world. Diversity is something that truly makes St. Augustine a special destination, especially in the spring. I want this cocktail to inspire and invite everyone to enjoy a beautiful day in our city and to imbibe with fresh Florida fruits and locally produced spirits. 

How did fine art inspire this cocktail? 

After living in Spain, I fell in love with classic Spanish painters like Francisco Goya and Velazquez but nobody inspired my creativity more than the surrealists of Spain in the early 20th Century. Painters such as Pablo Picasso and Remedios Varo and poets like Federico Garcia Lorca or Rafael Alberti are the truest examples of my love of art and creative adventure without boundaries.

Tell us about your work at Odd Birds Bar

Odd Birds Bar has been a staple of the craft cocktail  community for over 5 years in historic St.  Augustine. We pride ourselves on creating  adventurous and new cocktails every day catered  to each guest. The experience we strive for is that  every guest will constantly experience something  new and different. At Odd Birds we love to take  even the most refined cocktail enthusiast out of  their comfort zone. There are so many different  accentuations on cocktails that vary between each  of our talented bartenders and their own unique  flavor profiles.