AMER COCKTAIL BAR NOW OPEN IN ATLANTA’S INMAN QUARTER

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 3/4/16

AMER COCKTAIL BAR NOW OPEN IN ATLANTA’S INMAN QUARTER

From Team Behind Atlanta’s Beloved Westside Restaurant BOCADO

 

AMER, a cocktail bar from partners Brian Lewis and the late David Durnell of Atlanta’s BOCADO restaurant, will open in Atlanta’s Inman Park neighborhood in late March 2016: NOW OPEN as of March 31st . The space is located at 299 North Highland Ave, in the high-end, mixed-use development Inman Quarter.

 

The beverage program will be headed up by Timothy Faulkner, formerly of LUSCA, Octopus Bar, UMI, and Restaurant Eugene. “AMER” translates to “bitter” in French, and the bar’s drink list will have a focus on bitters and Italian Amari, with an opening menu of 20 cocktails. The drink menu is divided into four sections, designated as Shaken, Built, Sodas, and Stirred. Though AMER is centered around cocktails, no attention to detail has been neglected in the program as a whole. Think of the Italian tradition of the ‘Aperitivo Hour’, and expect a thoughtfully curated selection of beers and wines, aperitifs, digestifs, and playful surprises like the Super Coke with the AMER ten Amari blend, clarified lime & Mexican Coca-Cola.

 

A spot for guests to begin or end their evenings, AMER will also serve a menu of savory small plates and bar snacks curated by Chef Adam Waller of BOCADO. Dishes will include chips with charred onion dip; fried artichoke hearts and lemon; Buffala with trout caviar and fried leeks; Hamachi, green apples and sunchokes; English muffin, local egg and pork belly; and more.

 

AMER’s aesthetic will reference ‘70s-era Italian film and retro Amari labels. The punchy and exaggerated color palette will feature bright yellow, deep indigo, bronze, and marble. Playfully referencing Giallo movies, the exterior façade is divided by a red horizontal stripe on a yellow background. Open and airy, AMER will be flanked by large accordion windows. Mid-century furniture and old-world textures like rustic wooden beams will play off cinematic splashes of color. The intimate space will seat about 35, with a small private room for 12.

 

Brian Lewis is an Atlanta-based restaurateur who opened BOCADO in 2009. In 2010, it was named to Atlanta Magazine’s list of “Best New Restaurants,” and in 2012, Brian was named by StarChef as a “Rising Star Restaurateur” in the food industry.

 

AMER follows the 2014 opening of BOCADO BURGER, a concept spawned from BOCADO’s highly prized burger stack, served with American cheese, housemade B&B pickles, and fries. AMER, too, is hatched from BOCADO. It will draw inspiration from the restaurant’s lauded beverage program while showcasing an entirely new menu of cocktails.

 

 

www.ameratlanta.com