Hey, Marjorie, Des Moines, IA 

When I asked the bartender at 300 Craft & Cocktail (a nice roof deck with decent albeit obstructed views of downtown Des Moines) about the best cocktail in Des Moines he recommended this place.

It's located in the middle of downtown Des Moines right around the corner from my hotel - the Des Moines Marriott Downtown (which was either a sign from God or the Devil) and occupies a portion of the first floor of the building which previously housed the Des Moines Register and Tribune newspaper syndicate (which first published The Family Circus comic strip). As have become or will become all newspaper headquarters, the building was converted into "modern loft-living in the heart of vibrant downtown Des Moines".

It's a large well-appointed place, that reminds me of a well-off friend's living room in the late 70s (in all the best ways). I settled in at the relatively empty bar and studied all the old china cabinets that lined the wall behind the bar: taps installed in their fronts and liquor bottles stocked on their shelves.

I asked the barman for a variation on a Flackhattan and . . . he responded by making me a . . . Flackhattan (Four Roses bourbon, Doulin vermouth, Angostura bitters, cherry, rocks), nice but lacking imagination, though the cherry was excellent (not like those shriveled up boutique cherries). Service was efficient, maybe too efficient. I normally like to chat about the drink, but it seems like he wasn't in the mood - so I drank up and moved out.

Bottom Line: Solid cocktail, reticent service.

March 27, 2021