BUTTER LIKE IT
WHO: Nonna’s Kitchen
LOCATION: Spearfish
Nonna’s Kitchen has an award-winning cocktail, Butter Like It, featuring a house-made butterscotch-infused bourbon.
Owner Tobias Steeves came up with the recipe by figuring out the best way to fat wash bourbon, a process where spirits are infused with fat by chilling them for a period of time. He curated their housemade bourbon through this process.
After the fat solidifies, it’s scraped off, filtered, and can then be served.
“What’s left behind is a lot of the flavor of the fats used, and that silky-smooth texture and butterscotch flavor,” said Steeves.
The house-made bourbon is then mixed with Borghetti Espresso Liqueur. The drink is tied together with blackstrap bitters.
“The blackstrap bitters give a little bit more of that kind of grassy, herbal note underneath,” said Steeves. “It helps tie it all together and grounds the cocktail a little bit so it’s not overpoweringly sweet.”
The velvety, smooth drink is garnished with a toasted orange peel.
“It’s very unique,” revealed Steeves. “The garnish adds a really nice wrap to the cocktail and finalizes the notes, closing it out. The cocktail itself is silky and smooth with a nice, creamy texture.”
Steeves says he wanted to highlight nostalgic flavors such as butterscotch to add to the experience of drinking the cocktail.
“It has a really nice coffee undertone with that little bit of espresso, and it brings good heat in the back of your throat,” added Steeves. “The bitters add a little grounding note to the cocktail itself, and overall is very textured and nostalgic.”
For more information, visit NONNASKITCHENSD.COM+
CAREFUL WHISPER
WHO: Highball
LOCATION: Sioux Falls
Japanese whisky, Junmai Saké, Génépy, Cocchi Americano, and spiced plum bitters complete Highball’s carefully-crafted Careful Whisper cocktail.
Available year round, the Careful Whisper has light, floral notes, a hint of citrus, soft stone fruit, and baking spice, Highball manager Rich Kowalczyk says.
“The delicate nature of these spirits required careful consideration when deciding what to pair them with,” said Kowalczyk. “Everything is in equal parts, with just a whisper of plum bitters to tie them all together.”
The drink was created in the fall of 2024, and was greatly inspired by the flavors of Japanese whisky and saké rice wine, he adds.
“The world of Japanese spirits is relatively unexplored in cocktail culture, even more so here in smaller markets,” revealed Kowalczyk. “There’s quite literally nothing like it.”
Kowalczyk believes Highball will continue to influence cocktail culture in Sioux Falls through consistent education and cutting edge inspiration from the industry worldwide.
The sparks of global innovation that went into the Careful Whisper is indicative of the bar’s explorative process when it comes to cocktails.
“We’re always testing new flavors, so feel free to strike up a conversation with us,” he added “We’d love to show you what we’re working on.”
Kowalczyk reveals the process of cocktail creation is regarded highly at Highball, with expectations “above the cut.”
“We don’t take ourselves too seriously at Highball, except for cocktail creation,” he said. “We really do put everything we have into our rotating menus—love, creativity, and unique flavors.”
For more information, visit HIGHBALL-BAR.COM+
ESPRESSO MARTINI
WHO: Cee Cee’s 605 Scratch Kitchen & Bar
LOCATION: Vermillion
Espresso martinis are a year-round favorite at Cee Cee’s 605 Scratch Kitchen & Bar, with all the aromatic notes singing together.
Cee Cee’s take on the classic drink involves Nocello Walnut Liqueur and Kahlúa, a Roman coffee liqueur along with American Harvest as the base vodka.
Co-owner Joshua Scherrer reveals the nutty notes of the two liqueurs blend perfectly with the robust, dark notes of the Guatemalan and Peruvian medium roasts.
“We use an actual espresso, changing the texture and the feel of it, getting a nice crema,” said Scherrer. “When it’s shaken with ice, it gets a nice broth on it, adding to the drink itself.”
Cee Cee’s batches their espresso in-house, instead of solely relying on coffee liqueur. They also make their own simple syrup with cane sugar.
Along with nutty, dark notes of coffee, there are chocolatey notes complementing all the flavors, with a complete tasting profile bringing out flavors of caramel, coowner Amberly Baus adds.
Cee Cee’s aims to stay true to the preprohibition style while ensuring quality, fresh, hand-picked products, curated to the best guest experience.
“When you walk in the building, the environment stands out with the vaulted ceilings, the cocktail area, the lounges, and the vault in the basement, creating this big feel to it,” said Scherrer. “We are preserving the pre-prohibition style, so wetry to maintain as much of the tradition of cocktails as we can, and keep that in mind as we curate our cocktails.”
The wide space and range of areas to wine and dine allows for guests to spread out and even enjoy a board game or card game as they taste their food and drinks.
Vermillionites coined Cee Cee’s as “Vermillion’s living room,” said Scherrer.
“Play a game, listen to music at a volume you can have a good conversation, go upstairs or downstairs, and make it your own space,” said Scherrer.
Cee Cee’s also offers a mocktail version of the Espresso Martini.
For more information, visit CEECEES605.COM+
NUTTY BUTTER OLD FASHIONED
WHO: ROAM Kitchen & Bar
LOCATION: Sioux Falls
ROAM’s owner, John Sheehan, says the Nutty Butter Old Fashioned is a fabulous cocktail celebrating bourbon and new techniques for cocktail creation.
“We take butter, we caramelize it and submerge it into the bourbon, which infuses it, and once we remove the butter, it’s washed into the bourbon,” revealed Sheehan. “It gives a great, rich, caramel, buttery flavor to it.”
Available year round, the old fashioned features Rebel 100 Bourbon washed in brown butter, sweet vermouth, Frangelico, and cherry bark vanilla bitters.
“The drink is quite creative, and it has a nice, rich, velvety, caramelly additional note to it that mixes well with the Frangelico and cherry bark vanilla,” added Sheehan. “All the flavors really dance well together.”
Sheehan says the primary notes are caramelly, buttery, with hints of honey complimented by the aromatic cherry vanilla bitters, defining decadence and richness.
“It has a great finish that, as you finish it, the caramel stays with you, but also a nice vanilla note that comes from the bourbon, and obviously the bitters as well,” revealed Sheehan.
Sheehan says inspiration at ROAM is endless due to working with such a creative team, especially as the establishment gears up for their new spring menu.
“We have a great team that is inspired to create new things together,” said Sheehan. “The chefs and mixologists are in a world that they absolutely love. Having the venue to be able to do that is something great.”
For more information, visit ROAMKITCHEN.COM+
LAVENDER LEMON MERINGUE MARTINI
WHO: Deadwood Social Club
LOCATION: Deadwood
Lemon Absolut Vodka, lemon juice, and house-made lavender simple syrup, topped with house-made meringue, lemon and lavender garnish all make up the Lavender Lemon Meringue Martini at Deadwood Social Club.
Bartender Sydnie Lovell says she’s excited to debut this spring-inspired drink she concocted.
The martini will possibly be available seasonally during the summer, and will make its debut this month as the monthly special.
“The meringue really makes the drink stand out, adding color and flavor to the drink,” said Lovell.
Lovell’s expertise is in dessert martinis, and says she creatively found inspiration from the Deadwood Social Club baker.
“The meringue adds an extra flavor to it, and as I was trying to come up with March flavors, spring was the theme, with citrusy lemon and lavender for the turn of the season,” said Lovell.
Before being served and garnished, the meringue on top of the drink gets torched to perfection, Lovell adds.
Deadwood Social Club makes all of their own simple syrups along with all of their baked goods, including homemade chocolates served for the annual Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate Stroll.
Along with the annual event, Deadwood Social Club recently participated in the Mardi Gras festivities.
“For Mardi Gras, we were part of the cocktail call, and we made Cajunlemonade,” revealed Lovell.
Along with specialty drinks, Deadwood Social Club offers a wide range of delicious food and warmly welcomes everyone.
“My bar is a martini bar, and that’s what we advertise it as,” shared Lovell. “It’s a unique place that has a lovely atmosphere.”
For more information, visit SALOON10.COM+
SMOKED APPLE OLD FASHIONED
WHO: Blue Rock Bar & Grill
LOCATION: Sioux Falls
The Smoked Maple Old Fashioned at Blue Rock Bar & Grill captures flavors of oak shipped from Maine, helping add to the essence of Crown Royal Vanilla.
Seth Nasby, Blue Rock’s hospitality manager, believes along with the process of smoking a drink, bitters enhance the flavors, enriching the guest’s experience.
The drink is presented with the smoke enclosed as the flavors are captured, creating a memorable drinking experience, Nasby adds.
This special old fashioned starts with vanilla Crown, a bold, unique replacement for the conventional bourbon, Nasby adds. Along with the flavor-enhancing bitters, the drink also has maple syrup, sweetening the smokey notes.
“The vanilla Crown with the maple syrup is always dynamite,” said Nasby. “With the smoked factor, [the ingredients] add a little bit more complexity and flavor.”
Located near the Sanford Pentagon, Blue Rock features a fresh menu along with the signature cocktails they serve.
“We’re taking the standard recipe and we’re adding our Blue Rock touch to it,” revealed Nasby. “When we add all these components, we’re building layers of a flavor profile appealing to anybody’s personal palate.”
Nasby says the customer service offered is a priority, and the Blue Rock team strives for excellence while offering elevated bar food and crafted cocktails such as the Smoked Maple Old Fashioned.
“The whole team aims for elevation,” added Nasby. “We do bar food with the Blue Rock touch, we elevate it, adding great quality ingredients sourced locally, which is translated to our drinks as well. Everything has been carefully crafted.”
Along with in-house service, Blue Rock also provides extensive catering services.
For more information, visit BLUEROCKBARANDGRILL.COM+
STRANGE RANGER
WHO: The Hello Hi
LOCATION: Sioux Falls
The Hello Hi’s Strange Ranger drink, topped with a smoking cinnamon stick and fresh mint leaves, has a base of Old Overholt Rye.
The Old Overholt Rye is complemented by Falernum, pineapple, lemon, sugar, and Angostura Bitters. Last year’s menu overhaul brought the drink to life, explains manager Sophie Koball.
“It’s Pat Nelson’s, one of the owners, recipes,” said Koball. “He wanted to try something outside the box along with being Tiki inspired.”
The ingredients of the drink come together in a balanced, blended way, as they all enhance one another, with flavors “appealing to a wide range of folks.”
“I can recommend it to almost anybody who comes in, whether they typically like something sweet or more spirit forward and balanced,” said Koball. “It has a really good mixture of the sweeter side of a cocktail, while also maintaining affinity for stronger whiskey flavors.”
Koball adds no one flavor is overpowering as the notes come together to create the drink.
“The pineapple and the sugar especially aren’t so overwhelming, but neither are the rye or the bitters,” revealed Koball. “I also think the smell is a pretty major component.”
The smell of the smoking cinnamon stick alongside the fresh mint creates a more memorable experience for the patron, as it gently affects the senses, says Koball. She describes the drink as smooth, balanced, and robust.
The Hello Hi puts on multiple events throughout the year, including their Hello Hi-Fidelity DJ series and themed nights to engage with the local community.
“We try to stay pretty active in the community, and we have a good space for people to come in and be creative and share who they are with everybody in a safe space,” shared Koball.
For more information, visit THEHELLOHI.COM+
