Odd Birds; Singular Cocktails & Tapas in St. Augustine

by Lori Allen, Local Foodie

At Milagro on 12
33 Charlotte Street
Saint Augustine
www.oddbirdsbar.com

Odd birds you say? Odd Birds was a Pop up Bar located at 33 Charlotte Street, but has put down its roots and is here to stay. The concept of the Odd Birds bar originated during the 450th anniversary of St. Augustine celebration when the owners created a craft cocktail bar where the rule is oddness.


I have been watching this unique craft bar blossom.  You probably have walked right passed it a thousand times.  But if you dared to open the door you would see this quaint little patio which leads to the bar where all the magic happens. It epitomizes the hole in the wall concept along with a friendly casual vibe.


I had heard that you just need to let the spirits designer (bartender just doesn't describe the magic these guys create) talk to you for a bit and bam! He’s creating a masterpiece for your senses. So, my not so shy self… discussed with this spirit designer all my likes and dislikes and he concocted this really cool blue drink in a juice box!  It wasn’t too fruity nor too sweet, it had a little tang to it (anyone that knows me knows I like my lime!) with just the right amount of all their natural syrups and juices to make it oh so good. Back off kids, this is not your average juice box!


For my next visit I started off with one of their craft cocktails on their menu.  A Ganario which is made up of rum, ginger, turmeric, lemon, simply syrup and bitters. It was light and refreshing. As I enjoyed my beverage I chatted with Scott ,the spirits designer, about all the craft cocktails and how cool it is that people are coming up with such unique cocktails. He shared with me a little secret about craft bartenders and said if you are fellow craft bartender (spirit designer) you offer them a shot of Fernet to welcome them. So of course he was kind to offer me some seeing how I was talking his ear off.  This was such unique liquor that it’s entirely too hard to describe. The best I can do is Yager meets something earthy meets something medicinal. It goes down smooth and leaves this weird aftertaste. I noticed that they had several drinks made with this liquor so if you are willing, give it a try!


I ended my evening with their most popular drink, the Old Fashion. I had to laugh thinking that this drink has been around for decades. Of course Odd Birds put their spin on it with the perfect glass, cool square ice cube (so not to water it down) and just a splash of this and that to make it interesting and new again.  If you are an odd bird like myself, give this place a try! Its kooky and fun!

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