Hotel bars tend to be synonymous with overpriced and underwhelming cocktails. Too often they are simply the first on the list of potential tourist traps for the weary traveler. However, there is a growing list of hotels that are utilizing their bars to provide an additional layer of hospitality to both the traveler and the local. The Chalkboard, attached to the Ambassador hotel, is one such.
While the restaurant and bar operate independently of the hotel, they have maintained a partnership for the past 15 years. General Manager David Jeffries understands that this dynamic means his guests are a mixture of travelers and locals, and has curated the cocktail menu accordingly. Whether you’re a Tulsan looking for a light cocktail to pair with your brunch, or a traveler looking for a nightcap after a long day, The Chalkboard has you covered.
A house martini and Moscow mule riff are to be expected, but it’s
their Batatas cocktail that sets their house specialties apart. The
Batatas features a sweet potato-infused Jack Daniel’s whiskey. Prior to
infusion, the sweet potatoes are seasoned and roasted. Served in the
style of an old-fashioned, the drink’s pleasant sweetness complements
the oak notes present in
the whiskey.
The Chalkboard’s cocktail menus follow a theme, and the recently released spring menu’s theme is film. Names like The Good, Bad, and the Spicy, Ginpocalypse Now, and There Will Be Brandy add a playful element.
I prefer cocktails (and films) with bold and bitter notes—the Ne-groni for Old Men satisfied both requirements. Despite its name, the Negroni variant is less intimidating than Javier Bardem’s character in “No Country for Old Men.” Cucumber and floral notes in Uncle Val’s Botanical Gin counterbalance the slightly bitter Aperol, and the complexity of Carpano Antica rounds off any remaining edges.
If you want something more easygoing, I’d suggest the Jungle Birdman. This tiki-style drink contains the smooth and sippable Kirk and Sweeney 18-year rum, Aperol, pineapple juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup. The Garden State—a combination of light rum, red bell pepper and thyme shrub, and grapefruit juice—is a standout, and doesn’t taste too vegetal.
The Chalkboard’s bar offers a choose-your-own-adventure-style experience in both the spring menu and the overall atmosphere. Whether you strike up a conversation with a traveler sitting at the bar, or enjoy an afternoon brunch date on the patio, they’ve got a cocktail to suit the occasion.
(This article was originally published in the April 2017 B Issue of The Tulsa Voice.)
