Bitter End Review – Speakeasy Vibes in Etna

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Speakeasy Vibes at Bitter End in Etna

The menu during our visit ran a mix of classics and specialty cocktails with a few flavor twists.

We started with two specialty cocktails, Isabelle Furnace (featuring rye whiskey, honey, ginger, lemon, and smoke) as well as the namesake Bitter End (with aquavit, aperol, lime, grapefruit, and Prosecco).

The namesake Bitter End cocktail had some mild and nuanced flavors that reminded us a bit of a Spritz but perhaps slightly more spirit-forward. Isabelle Furnace, their take on a Penicillin, hit us in the face with all the flavors, perhaps most dominantly the smoke, which was, admittedly, almost overpowering for some of the other more delicate flavors.

To round out the evening, we gave the classic Sazerac a try, which unfortunately had a similar issue to the Isabelle Furnace as it was quite light on the absinthe, sugar, and bitters compared to the whiskey, which was the dominating component. I'm not one to be upset with a serving of whiskey for the price point; however, this will be the one instance where I wish there was a bit more absinthe and sugar all around.

Although we liked the namesake Bitter End, particularly for what we felt was a take on a classic Spritz (which was done quite well), a few of the other cocktails were a bit out of balance for our tastes, which was unfortunate.

Beyond the bar's cocktail menu, their website noted the availability of bar bites, charcuterie, sandwiches, and a few other snack plates; however, during our visit, we did not notice a menu for these being present. We hope to return to try these out soon!

Still, we are all about more speakeasies popping up and are curious to try more specialty creations in the future, especially because Bitter End comes in at a fairly approachable price point by current bar standards- particularly for their classic cocktail menu.

Bitter End is located at 409 Butler Street in Etna.