The Greyhound, in the new Hilton Garden Inn Downtown on Union, opened last Thursday.
This chic bar, which claims to be the first of its kind in the city, specializes in craft gin cocktails.
The name is a nod to the bus station that once stood in the same location. Greyhounds abound in the bar. Two statues of the dogs, named Danny and Jude, guard the door. Ice for the drinks can be stamped with an image of the dog, and you can buy stickers with greyhounds on them from an old stamp machine.
This a bar less about the drinking than it is about the experience. A bar trolley is used, so drinks can be made table-side. The cocktails are served in pretty Waterford crystal glasses with little tin straws. A smokebox is available so drinks can be infused with a smoky flavor. And the bar menu has a page with a circle on it for placing your drink — to frame it just right for social media.
Kel’s Bells
The Greyhound carries some 50 gins. Bar manager Kendrick Cook says you can’t really beat gin for its versatility. You can make it sweet or bitter or spicy, he says, it all works.
Among the signature cocktails are the Greyhound Station (Hayman’s Sloe Gin, mint, grapefruit, Aperol, oleo); Memphis Grizzlies (Botanist gin, creme de violet, lime, and seasonal berries); and the Keeper, which is a nod to the new soccer team, with Brugal rum, Cynar, Orgeat, and tiki bitters.
And there are the classics, such as the Gimlet, the Martini, Last Word, and Sazerac, as well.
The bar menu features twists on Southern classics, including a Jack Daniels’ BBQ brisket sandwich, Southern chicken with grilled chicken and pimentos cheese, chicken wings, and house-made pub chips.
The Greyhound opens daily at 4 p.m.
