Lazy Tiger opens tonight in the Central West End
Travis Howard and Tim Wiggins, owners of Retreat Gastropub and Yellowbelly, open their first true cocktail bar.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Retreat Gastropub and Yellowbelly enjoy an unusual distinction: Each is as renowned for its beverage program as its cuisine. This weekend, owners Travis Howard and Tim Wiggins are introducing a concept that’s decidedly more cocktail bar than restaurant, “a bartenders’ cocktail bar,” as Wiggins describes it.
Today, September 4, Lazy Tiger debuts in a 1,000-square-foot space to the north of Yellowbelly, the previous home to The Hideout, the duo’s nautical-themed event space. Howard explains that the venue hosted holiday parties in November and December, but the three-week Halloween-themed Corpse Reviver pop-up bar was its biggest success.
“It was what we were good at, and it was what we liked to do,” he says. “It was hard to get serious about random events when we had so much fun doing that and when the Lazy Tiger really began to take shape.”
Howard envisions the space as an intimate cocktail bar, where the person making the drinks is also the person serving patrons at tables, offering the same engagement level as at the bar. Wiggins compares the construct to the cozy cocktail bars that he remembers when visiting NYC or Lyaness in London, voted one of the top 50 best bars in the world.
“We designed Lazy Tiger to have very few moving parts,” says Howard. “Staffing is minimal, basically two bartenders and one cook, both working with prep they’ve done ahead of time, which gives the bartenders more time with the guests." The owners would rather they interact, rather than obsess over drink preparation.
Lazy Tiger (named after a light-hearted drink at Yellowbelly) seats 22 at six tables during current COVID-19 restrictions, nearly double that when at full capacity.
“I see Lazy Tiger as both a pre-dinner and post-dinner spot,” Howard says, 'that should be sustainable, even at 22 seats.” He also hopes to add sidewalk tables in the near future.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
The interior space was painted forest green, and plants and mirrors were added, but the room still retains the nautical touches that tie it to Yellowbelly, accessed via a connecting hallway. Two center tables will be returned to service when capacity restrictions subside. Opaque polycarbonate panels between the booths (rather than the ubiquitous plexiglass) add a measure of safety.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Besides the figurehead inside the door, the tiger references are minimal.
The 15-item drink menu is a collaboration between Wiggins, Seth Wahlman (general manager at Yellowbelly), and David Greteman (a former bartender at Taste and Elmwood). Rather than list the drinks by spirit or the more mundane “classics” or “signature cocktails,” the trio divided the menu by style of cocktail, which translates to a section on Negronis, Martinis, Clarified, Flips (two cocktails that contain egg yolk), Highballs, and Sours.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
One of three Sour cocktails, the Humble Brag includes Rieger gin, haitian rum, salted banana puree, black rice mylk, coconut, and lemon
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Whip Shade, a balance of "strong, sweet, and bitter," is made with La Gritona Reposado tequila, Madre Mezcal, carrot and galangal amaro, and spanish vermouth
One of the goals of Lazy Tiger (“one of our big evolutions,” as Howard puts it) was to be more conscious of waste. To that end, less citrus will be used, which means fewer fruit garnishes, juices, and perishable ingredients. For example, a house mixer, made by utilizing alternative citrus options (such as naturally occurring citric acid), still delivers the tart punch of its full fruit counterparts.
There are also several spirit-free options, including a non-alcoholic aperitif made with coconut, lime, ginger beer, and black rice “mylk” (made by sweetening the grain’s purplish cooking water with cream of coconut). Several selections of draft beer and natural wines (seven by the bottle, including four by the glass) are available as well.
Similar to the approach that he took at Yellowbelly, Wiggins narrowed the spirit selection on the small back bar. Instead of attempting to stock even a fraction of a myriad of liquor now available, Wiggins selected 60 unique spirit brands, focusing on the agaves and agricole-style rums. “We have three spirit choices per category,” says Greteman, “not 30.”
Yellowbelly executive chef Ben Tulin created a 10-item food menu to complement the beverages, not stand in as dinner (although the Short Rib Slab Burger—with chipotle mezcal braise, aioli, sweet roasted peppers, fontina, and “house momma's bun”—could do just that).
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Another substantial offering is a trio of chicken pibil taquitos, a riff on the slow-roasted pork dish from Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula. Other options include a crab dip with Calabrian peppers, classic shrimp cocktail, grilled octopus toast, and a build-your-own cheese and charcuterie board.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Lazy Tiger will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 5–10:30 p.m. The closing hour may be extended when the 11 p.m. restriction is lifted. There’s also a possibility of packaging the cocktails and bar bites in to-go form.
