For centuries, the bar and tavern have offered weary customers a place to retreat from the elements and end a hard day of labor. The Refuge Bar & Bistro is designed to transport visitors to a better place. The refuge has a subtly splendid style, one that echoes an earlier time period. Its dark wood, ornate ceiling, luscious antique-y wallpaper, mahogany bar stained deep with angostura bitters, and
intimate ambiance provide the chance for a transformative moment. Here, it seems to say, your life just might change. At least, you’ll know you’re in for a very good drink, a fact made evident by the massive bottle shelf behind the elongated bar, packed with a vast array of spirits, liqueurs and mixers, microbrew beers, boutique wines, along with old bar bottles and bar equipment. When sitting at the bar by yourself or with a friend—in the thick of the action, the way Refuge is best experienced—gazing at the choices, it’s pretty obvious that this is a place in which the creation of cocktails is serious business. Plan on having a couple, because they’re delicious, and that way, you’ll get to see more of the bartenders plying their trade with cool efficiency. But be sure that one of your drinks is the Refuge Retreat. Constructed with deadly and delicious simplicity, it contains only rye, Ramazzotti amaro and Cointreau foam. The taste is airy and light at first, with a hint of citrus, but then the herbal earth and grain push through, mingling and ending with a smooth but sturdy finish. Its balance—a combination of classic and modern—sum up Refuge perfectly.
