The Farmer's Cabinet

Let's Do the Time Warp Again!

I've visited The Farmer's Cabinet twice. Once before I embarked on this project, and once just after. Neither visit included food, so apparently I'm kicking off by doing the exact opposite of what I promised, which is to eat at each establishment. Forgive me. I assure you that this will absolutely happen again. Before we get started, here's what Philly Mag has to say about The Farmer's Cabinet, at 12th and Walnut:

This place is what would happen if Ridley Scott were directing a happy hour for beer snobs, cocktail historians, Jazz Age hep cats and righteous old drunks. It’s one of the strangest and most amazing places to have a drink in Philly right now.

And here’s my take:

You know the feeling of seeing a a movie after having viewed too many previews beforehand, or better yet, having read the book? It's always kind of disappointing, isn't it?
But then there are the times you walk into a film without having even heard of it. For me, that's the best way to view a new film because you have no idea what you're getting into. This was me, walking into The Farmer’s Cabinet for the first time. I’m new to town, and this happens often. I love it. I must agree with Philadelphia Magazine: This is a truly strange place to have a drink. When I was completely blind to the place, a friend texted that she was there, and invited me to join for a drink. Sure, I said, and when I stepped in, I was in the Jazz Age. The real, live twenties.

Full disclosure: I do not mind being transported by a theme, when done very well, to another era in time or another culture or country. I hear you, Stephen Starr haters, who usually use smug phrases that include "like Disney on crack" or "It's a Small World regurgitated on every Philly street corner." Do I go to The Olive Garden and pretend I'm in Italy? No. Am I okay with a restaurant or pub with a theme so researched that the feel is genuinely authentic? Sure, why not? Life is too short to hate having a pretty authentic German beer hall in my back yard. My point is that the well thought out, often quirky, and perfectly executed Jazz Age feel of The Farmer's Cabinet probably swayed me before I even ordered my first drink, and for that I do not apologize.

I met my friends at a long, family style table with an enormous caribou...? deer?...mounted above, weak candles casting quivering shadows on the table, and a handlebar mustachioed, bowtie-clad waiter. Hmmm, this is not your average bar, I realized. I ordered a Porkpie Stetson Hat, which obviously, as the name implies, includes London Dry Gin, St. Germain, red bell pepper, sugar, fresh lemon, and rosemary. And oh my, it was a cocktail, indeed. I'm a sucker for a drink with fresh herbs used both in the body and as garnish. This cocktail smelled super deep immediately, thanks to dependably powerful rosemary leading the way, and tart and fresh on my tongue, thanks to the lemon and sugar. It was mouth puckeringly fun. Yes, puckeringly is a word. Now.

My second visit was visually similar to the first, and the sights and sounds as stimulating. The Fizz (citrus, sugar, egg white, soda, up), which I paired with vodka, was sadly a bit of a let down. Actually, no. It was a proper let down. I have had other cocktails and concoctions using egg white, and have had a few gin fizzes, with and without egg. (I believe my first egg fizz drink was the very sophisticated Orange Julius at age 6, ahem) I've never experienced anything like this, and not in a good way. The Fizz was served in a tall Collins glass, so that’s exciting, no? But I received 75% hard-whipped egg white fizz and 25% liquid in the bottom. I literally could not get through the foam to have a sip. I'm genuinely uncertain if it was served improperly or if I missed the memo on having to use a spoon to sift out the liquid from under the foam, but either way I was unimpressed and bewildered. The drink itself was delicious, just proportionally challenged. Being able to hold the glass upside down without anything falling out like a magician was radical, though. On the other hand, a friend who had the Old Battered Suitcase (Bourbon, 3 yr Calvados, quince, fresh lemon, star anise) wound up sharing half with me, because I couldn't keep my hands off. It was beautifully layered with the rich flavor of bourbon playing very nicely with both the fresh lemon and quirky flavor of anise. It was a truly delicious cocktail I'd order again and again.

I can't describe my experiences at The Farmer's Cabinet without mentioning my favorite feature: The music. Sweet mercy, it's so much fun to hear live jazz sung through the nose and out of an old fashioned, crackling microphone, by the perfectly executed vintage styling of Drew Nugent and his band. It is either the icing on the cake, or the dead center, making my cocktail that much tastier, but either way, if you're in the mood for a time warp after having watched too much Boardwalk Empire, Nugent's band and The Farmer's Cabinet cocktails are the way to do so.

I've arbitrarily decided to assign a grade to the bars I review, and overall, I'd say The Farmer's Cabinet deserves a solid B. That foamy fizz didn't set well, but the Old Battered Suitcase and Drew Nugent alone carry at least a few letter grades. You should go.

More info and menus at http://www.thefarmerscabinet.com/cocktails/