Regular(s') Drinks
Get in on the inside jokes and cocktail names at Townsend.
Even though he’s a few years shy of 30, Harry Jamison has an old curmudgeon-y bartending soul—at least when it comes to naming drinks. As beverage director and lead barman of Townsend Wentz’ namesake restaurant in South Philadelphia, Jamison mixes and pours for an in-Philly-only cast of regulars and industry peers. A lucky few among that set have become cocktail muses (or gentle inside jokes) for Jamison, who dubs drinks after some of his favorite patrons and blacked-out friends.
SANFRANDELPHIAN
The Regular: This complex gimlet is named for Carney Gilfillan, a bar regular from San Francisco, who, as San Franciscans do, always asks for a Fernet drink.
The Drink: In a shaker filled with ice, combine and shake 1 ounce Beefeater gin, ½ ounce Fernet Branca, ½ ounce green Chartreuse, ¾ ounce lime juice, ½ ounce rich Demerara syrup, and ¼ ounce ginger syrup. Strain into a coup.
WE'RE GOING TO BROAD STREET
The Regular: Jeff Jagger, a former Townsend bar manager, is (like everyone in Philly) a bit of an Eagles fan. “When the Eagles won the Super Bowl, he basically blacked out, screaming on repeat, ‘We’re going to Broad Street!’” says Jamison. This is his twist on a Boulevardier.
The Drink: Make a coffee syrup by combining by weight 2 parts Demerara to 1 part water; add ¾ ounce coffee extract per quart of syrup. For the drink: in a mixing glass filled with ice, combine and stir 1½ ounces Old GrandDad bonded bourbon, 1 ounce Campari, ¼ ounce coffee syrup, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters, and 1 dash mole bitters. Strain into a rocks glass with a large cube of ice. Garnish with an orange twist..
DIMARZIO NO. 4
The Regular: Ed Dimarzio, a server at Fork, hates cocktails. “We used to joke that his last name is perfect for a classic cocktail,” says Jamison, who eventually named a cocktail after the mixed drinker hater. People were bummed when the Dimarzio left the menu, so Jamison started a series.
The Drink: In a shaker, combine and dry shake 1 ounce Laird’s bonded apple brandy, ½ ounce Lemon Hart & Son 151 rum, ¾ ounce lemon juice, ¾ ounce Bonal, ¾ ounce spiced apple syrup, and 1 egg white. Add ice, wet shake, and strain into a rocks glass with a large cube of ice. Grate cinnamon over top.
IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN SAN DIEGO
The Regular: Veteran Townsend Bartender Bohdan Darway worked at Townsend before moving to San Diego. “[Darway’s] least favorite thing is sunlight—says it makes his eyes water. The weather was amazing, and he hated it. Now he’s back in Philly,” says Jamison.
The Drink: In a mixing glass filled with ice, combine and stir 1½ ounces Beefeater gin, ½ ounce Dolin Genepy, ½ ounce Dolin dry vermouth, ½ ounce Giffard Pamplemousse, and 1 teaspoon Salers aperitif. Strain into a rocks glass with a large cube of ice. Express lemon oil over top.
