Marvel Bar

04/30/2020

A Message to The Bachelor Farmer and Marvel Bar Community:

Dear Friends,

Six weeks ago, we closed the doors to The Bachelor Farmer, Marvel Bar, and our cafe to protect the health of our team, and the community. And today, I have reached the very difficult decision that we will not reopen.

As you know, the future of hospitality is incredibly uncertain and over the past month, we have tried our best to navigate this uncharted territory. We have explored the option of takeout, most likely evolving into a hybrid model of takeout and reduced-capacity dining room service in the months ahead, but there’s just no way for that level of business to support the financial weight of our company and the building we call home. We were already walking a fine line before COVID-19, and given that no one knows how long the impacts of this pandemic will last, or what the new normal will be, I do not see a viable path forward.

The loss fills me with sadness, but I am also overwhelmed with gratitude. We had the privilege of serving you for almost nine years. We celebrated important milestones right alongside you, hosting countless birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries. We welcomed a president, a vice president, and a first lady. And we were fortunate to be able to go out on a high note, having recently received another four stars from the Star Tribune and reimagining a bar as a space where everyone feels comfortable. We helped to create a vibrant neighborhood and I hope we contributed something of lasting value to the fabric of our community. I’m proud of that legacy and can’t thank you enough for making it possible.

We have tried to provide support for our team through this incredibly difficult time, and this decision doesn’t change that. Every employee received six weeks of pay while furloughed and we will continue to provide full health benefits through May 31. And for our guests, if you have an unused gift card we will transfer the balance into a credit at Askov Finlayson. Any outstanding event deposits will be refunded in full. There is no easy way to do this, but we’re committed to doing it right.

I want to thank Mayor Frey and Governor Walz for their steady leadership through this crisis. I strongly support the decisive steps they’ve taken to protect our collective wellbeing and this decision is not a result of their actions, which have been commensurate with the crisis we face.

Lastly, to our friends in the Minneapolis restaurant community: It has been an honor to be in your company and I believe in your ability to overcome these unprecedented challenges. Hospitality will be more important than ever as we heal from the shared trauma of this experience and I know you will continue to raise the bar for many years to come.

Thank you again, everyone, for your incredible support. We will miss welcoming you through our doors, but hope to see you again soon.

Until then, please take good care of yourselves, and each other.

My best,

Eric Dayton

04/26/2020

Find the Oakenshield in its component parts at 1010 Washington Wine & Spirits, starting this week!

So many Twin Cities restaurants are curating cocktail kits. Release your inner mixologist with help from the professionals.

04/24/2020

None of us have a ton of bar tools at home (or, in Julian’s case, any bar tools), but that doesn’t get in the way of good drinks. Even if a whole pint of gelato must be eaten to get to them. Here’s his Approximate Daiquiri.

04/22/2020

Peder's dry Lost Forty takes its name from the old-growth pine forest in northern Minnesota. As the story goes, surveyors mistakenly mapped the area during the Public Land Survey of 1882, so it was never logged like the surrounding area. Almost one hundred years later, the area was re-surveyed and the error was discovered, but the 250-plus-year-old pines remain.

It's a simple cocktail—30 ml honey, 5 ml lemon, salt, and top with hot water—but the trick is in the honey. We ferment ours with some of our foraged ingredients to bring the forest in, gently. Here's to getting our hands on those cedar spikes and juniper berries soon.

04/20/2020

Ash is thinking spring at their house with a use-what-you-have version of a Singapore Sling. Because what you have is probably what you already love.

04/17/2020

Something for your weekend: The Warncliffe is our first drink to use a non-alcoholic distillate. A good way to dip your toe into simple dry drink-making: we started with Ritual Zero Proof Gin Alternative.

10 ml your favorite pickle brine
20 ml simple syrup
20 ml fresh lime juice
60 ml Ritual Gin Alt

We stir this one and serve on ice chips. If you're making simple syrup for the first time, we use a 2:1 ratio of sugar to water, plus a good amount of salt. Everything can use some salt.

04/13/2020

You might have heard about General Manager Peder talk about his favorite drink of all time, if you’ve pressed him for it. If not, here it is—and it’s only available for about a week or so more.

04/09/2020

We didn't expect for the last month of our Dry exploration to be spent at home, but now that we're here, the principles we explored at the beginning of this year prove to be as important as ever. ⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
In an environment of uncertainty, what coping mechanisms are you using to manage stress and anxiety? We've been spending time outside, using some of Calm's free meditation resources, moving, and Zoom-ing together. And yes, some drinking. But checking in on how we're taking care of ourselves is a critical conversation, even when there's not a pandemic at hand. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
We'll continue to offer recipes for our non-alcoholic cocktails and share what we’re drinking at home. But we’d love to hear what you’re up to as well, until we see each other in person. 💜

Photo by John Yuccas.

04/07/2020

In this moment of uncertainty, you'll find most of the staff at Marvel Bar at home drinking—well, drinking very simply. That's not to say it's without extreme prejudice and excellent taste. Thus, a little no-recipe guide to shelter-in-place drinking, from our houses to yours. Take our advice, or let it inspire your own. We're starting with our Head Bartender, Matthew Voss, who's drinking Manhattans at his family cabin.

03/23/2020

Something to drink when you've shut your computer. You've filled out your census. You've kept your distance on a long walk outside. The first non-alcoholic drink at Marvel, the Pickle Buck.

5 ml your favorite pickle brine
40 ml lime juice
20 ml simple syrup

Build over a stack of the biggest ice cubes you've got and top with equal parts seltzer and ginger beer. Give her a spin. Cheers!

03/17/2020

A Message to The Bachelor Farmer and Marvel Bar Community: