Some famous Iowans include artist Grant Wood, who painted American Gothic in 1930 (modeled after a house in Iowa, and the man in the painting was his dentist, and the woman was his sister), movie star John Wayne (born Marion Robert Morrison), iconic actress Donna Reed (It’s A Wonderful Life, people), and Ashton Kutcher, who was unable to comment, as he was busy filming Dude, Where’s My Cocktail? (#sorrynotsorry).
Iowa
Anyone who’s seen Field of Dreams probably knows that is exactly what Iowa stands for (“Is this heaven?” “No. It’s Iowa.”) and the rolling fields and corn taller than a basketball hoop convince anyone passing through. The Ayuxwa Indians called this place Iowa for “the one who puts to sleep,” which aptly communicates the Buddhist-like tranquility you can find in some of the more remote areas. When I think of Iowa, I think of having sweet corn and iced tea on a sleepy Sunday afternoon, reading the paper or a good book, going for a walk, or watching the sky unfurl from blue to white to pink and introduce a bright poster of stars across a dark blue canvas.
We do conversation. The space is meant to reflect what it’s like to hang in your parents’ house as guests come by and check it out. We celebrate family and sloe gin. Sloe gin is what my grandma (namesake of the bar) drank by the glass, so we’re always looking for creative ways to use it.
Quaker Oats, the largest cereal company in the world, is located in Cedar Rapids, the National Balloon Museum is in Indianola, and Red Delicious apples were created in Peru, Iowa. “The greatest thing since sliced bread” is an expression that acknowledges how wonderful modern conveniences can be, and we can thank inventor Otto Frederick Rohwedder of Davenport, who built the first bread slicer in 1912.
One of my favorite root beers I had while traveling across America hails from Millstream. Based in Amana, Millstream opened as a brewery in the mid-1980s, and didn’t start producing its legendary root beer until 1995. It’s especially creamy, with long notes of vanilla and a touch of anise and mint. The High Life Lounge in Des Moines proudly serves the Root Down shot—Millstream root beer and Jägermeister. Old-time root beer. Big-time high-five flavor.
The cocktail scene in Iowa (Clinton Street Social Club in Iowa City, Juniper Moon in Des Moines, and Cobble Hill in Cedar Rapids are some state notables) has been steadily progressing over the past few years, and with rye whiskey reentering the fold in the last decade, that means one thing: lots more delicious Manhattans for all those Busch Light beer drinkers.
I believe it was a strategic move to associate Al Capone with Templeton Rye Whiskeys as campaigns, but “The Good Stuff” was undoubtedly a feather in Iowa’s cap, known to operate in the basement of a Catholic church during Prohibition, while amens and hallelujahs were taking place upstairs.
One unique note about Iowa: The temperature is wildly unpredictable. If you’re away for the day, bring a short sleeve T-shirt and a sweatshirt. And wear waterproof shoes. And bring a hat. And mittens. And a snack. And maybe a blanket. And of course a flask.
Iowa is solid whiskey sour country. But there’s a big Scandinavian population, which is why I think there are pickle-backs. I remember farmers drinking pickle juice. I like to think there’s guys taking a nip of whiskey and then downing it with sauerkraut juice. Iowa is simple like that in the best possible way.
—Andre Darlington (grew up in Ames), author of The New Cocktail Hour and Booze & Vinyl
Iowa Spirit
TEMPLETON RYE
Templeton
Though first produced in the shadows of small-town Templeton (population as of 2016: 349), Prohibition curtailed Templeton’s production. Allegedly a favorite of notorious gangster Al Capone, Templeton rye was brought back into production and bottled in Iowa starting in 2006, and quickly became a popular shelf item for many bars and restaurants, subsequently winning a gold medal in 2009 at the World Spirits Tasting and Whisky Bible’s “Whisky of the Year.” Templeton has developed a brandnew distillery, aging warehouse, and museum, dedicated to its history in Iowa, ensuring that “the good stuff” will be around for a good, long while.
I’m all for the highest degree of hospitality, regardless if there’s a dress code or peanuts on the ground. There’s nothing worse than a staff annoyed by the presence of guests, especially in the final hour of business. That separates the true professionals from those just on the clock. That’s a bucket list bar for me.
—Joy Buehler, assistant general manager, the Roosevelt Room (Austin, TX)
IOWA’S OLDEST BAR
BREITBACH’S COUNTRY DINING
Sherrill, 1852
Jacob Breitbach got a liquor license from President Millard Fillmore in 1852 and six generations later this family-owned and -operated bar and restaurant is still going with gusto. The original building burned down not once but twice in 2007 and 2008, and the community banded together to help the Breitbach family restore the space so the good people of Iowa could drink and eat in proper community fashion. And if that isn’t a story celebrating America, I don’t know what is.
I got a job here by trying the entire cocktail menu in one sitting. No lie.
—Nick, bartender, Hello, Marjorie (Des Moines)
IOWA BUCKET LIST BARS
HIGH LIFE LOUNGE AND EL BAIT SHOP
Des Moines
Appropriately nicknamed “the Champagne of Bars,” the High Life Lounge is covered in wood paneling, antique beer lights, and vintage Miller High Life memorabilia. It serves (surprise, surprise) Miller High Life and bacon-wrapped tater tots, and is known for its unique shots, such as Tangermeister (Tang and Jägermeister), and accordingly it was voted one of Esquire’s “Best Bars in America.” El Bait Shop has an endless list of craft beers available (and more than 180 on tap! How is that possible?) and celebrates all things bicycle, as the location is connected to many of Des Moines downtown bike paths.
IOWA COCKTAIL BAR
HELLO, MARJORIE
Des Moines
Hello, Marjorie is a spacious lounge featuring retro furniture, and when you enter it you might think you’re visiting a relative, which is exactly the point. Marjorie was owner Nick Tillinghast’s grandmother, whose husband unexpectedly passed away early and who raised her three daughters on her own. At Hello, Marjorie, you will be treated like family and served delicious cocktails, and you can catch a glimpse of the famous superhero matriarch herself in a painting, where she is smiling and drinking her famous favorite beverage: sloe gin on the rocks. On top of all this, the bar has Templeton six-year whiskey on tap, an unusual practice but a welcome homage to the state’s drinking history.
STATE FACT
Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), an annual week-long bike ride across the state which started in 1973, is the largest bike tour in the world. It starts from Iowa’s west side and the Missouri River and finishes on the east with the Mighty Mississippi.
THE MARJORIE
Nick Tillinghast, Hello, Marjorie, Des Moines
The cocktail stands for sociability with no strings attached. It is shallow, but it is also profound. A glass in hand, ice cubes, tinkling, can suggest hilarity, a crowded room, and social adventure. Or it can evoke the solitary man at the end of the bar, lost in thought, staring into the plumbless depths of a four-ounce glass.
—William Grimes, Straight Up or On the Rocks
The Marjorie is named after owner Nick’s grandmother, Marjorie, who loved drinking sloe gin on the rocks more than anything else. Stop by Hello, Marjorie any time and view the prominent portrait of Marjorie to the left of the bar, cigarette in one hand and a full glass of sloe gin and ice in the other. You gotta love the 1970s, baby.
1½ ounces Absolut Pear vodka
¾ ounce Plymouth sloe gin
¾ ounce simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water)
¾ ounce fresh lemon juice Garnish: lemon wheel
Shake the ingredients with ice until chilled. Strain over fresh ice in a chilled rocks glass and garnish with the lemon.
IOWA FLANNEL SHIRT
Marcus Owens, Clinton Street Social Club, Iowa City
This is Clinton Street’s take on Oregon bartender Jeffrey Morganthaler’s modern classic, the Flannel Shirt (an autumnal-focused cold cocktail made with Scotch, Averna amaro, lemon, apple cider, bitters and St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, a wonderful accent to any fall or winter cocktail). The drink features apples from Wilson’s, a local orchard, and red pears to make an apple-pear cordial, but seek out fresh cider from your local farmers’ market and make it easy on yourself—and what’s more, better for the farmers. There’s really no substitute for St. Elizabeth allspice dram, but be warned: A little goes a long way.
1½ ounces Templeton rye
½ ounce CioCiaro amaro
¼ ounce St. Elizabeth allspice dram
¼ ounce fresh lemon juice
¾ ounce pear cider
¾ ounce apple cider
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Shake the ingredients with ice until chilled. Strain over fresh ice in a chilled rocks glass.
BAR SNACK
Though it sounds like something between a pinch runner and a double play in baseball, switchel is a drink made with apple cider vinegar, fresh ginger, and water, with a sweetener that depends on whatever region it hails from. In Vermont, it would be maple syrup. In Iowa and other places in the Midwest, honey syrup is not uncommon. In the South, sorghum syrup. Some places use molasses. The medicinal value shouldn’t be overlooked, as ginger contains anti-inflammatories, vinegar wields microbial benefits, and the sweetener provides a little energy kick (and molasses is rock solid with potassium). Switchel was everyone’s Gatorade from the 1700s through the 1900s. Play ball.
Iowa