Boxing Room Gets Liquor, Will Debut Cocktail Menu Ahead Of Mardi Gras

Boxing Room Gets Liquor, Will Debut Cocktail Menu Ahead Of Mardi GrasPhotos: Meaghan Clark/Hoodline 
Meaghan Clark
Published on January 23, 2015

After months of liquor license speculation, Boxing Room is finally getting a full liquor selection and a cocktail menu, just in time for Mardi Gras.

At the helm of the new menu is Jonny Raglin, formerly of North Beach’s Comstock Saloon, and director for bars at the Absinthe Group. Jonny has been mixing cocktails in San Francisco since 2000, working in fine dining restaurants firmly rooted in classic drinks and techniques before opening up Comstock with partner Jeff Hollinger. “When [Jeff and I] opened Comstock Saloon, we stripped the menu back to the classics,” Jonny said. “It was just about straight-forward classic cocktails at the time.”

Boxing Room’s cocktails will be firmly rooted in New Orleans, said Jonny, a frequent traveler to The Big Easy. Though the menu is still in development ahead of a February 6th premiere, everything from a Pimm’s Cup to a Hurricane to a twist on the frozen daiquiri is expected to appear on the new menu. “The whole Bourbon Street disaster that’s happening in New Orleans ... is still part of it,” he said. The idea, Jonny added, is to “elevate” the experience of these classically Southern drinks, with a “little kitsch on the counter.”

Everything will pair nicely with Executive Chef Justin Simoneaux's contemporary classic cuisine. But Jonny admits that it’s about creating a robust menu that can stand alone. “You have to have a broad slew of cocktails to have a successful menu; you need drinks that are short and strong, long and refreshing, citrus-based,” he said. “In the end, you just hope that people chose the right thing with the right dish.”

In true Jonny Raglin fashion, a house shot is also on the menu. While its final name is still being perfected, Jonny explained that it will be a sarsaparilla whiskey served from a blast chiller. "The pastry chef is coming up with Guinness foam to top it off and we’re using a root beer mug shot glass. It embodies the fun, laid-back atmosphere that we’re hoping for."

Until the premiere in February, Jonny is hunkered down on bar renovation and perfecting the cocktail menu, and concept transformation. “There’s a lot of change that has to happen when you go from beer and wine to a cocktail bar."

Boxing Room is expected to be closed from February 2nd and will reopen Friday, February 6th with its new menu. Visit the restaurant before or after its cocktail revamp at 399 Grove St.