Abbott and Wallace celebrated another new beginning on Saturday night when it debuted its new pub at 350 Terry Street. The reimagined location now includes food from an on-site kitchen to compliment the craft cocktails, craft beer and wine traditionally served there.
During the pandemic, the local distillery rebranded from Longtucky to its current name Abbott and Wallace.
“We’ve always wanted to involve food in what we were doing, but it really wasn’t until this year that we felt able to do it,” said Steph Young, Abbott and Wallace’s sales and distribution manager.
Young said the effects of COVID-19 influenced the owners’ timing for this next step.
“Even though things were starting to open up, we saw that while a lot of people were leaving home, it was just to spend time at one spot. They were going out to dinner and drinks, but they weren’t bar hopping anymore. We’ve only recently started to see the same traffic we’ve had since the pandemic.”
With the new menu, drinkers can enjoy items that range from snacks like cauliflower flatbread, wings, and tempeh to heartier pizzas and a charcuterie board. One of the most interesting items from the new kitchen is its bear claws. The menu item is a nod to rugged Colorado campfire cooking, with rabbit, rattlesnake, corn nuggets and roasted chilis cooked and served in tinfoil-wrapped packages.
Opening night customers enjoyed the new kitchen’s offerings along with live music that encouraged a community atmosphere. Seated at the bar, local regular Michelle Longdo said “This is our Saturday night stop and we’ve been coming here since it opened. It’s nice to see them branch out, have something different and get more customers.”
Young was happy with how opening night was going.
“As people are drinking, we know they want something to eat and I think they’re pleased with our options. Our current menu is just what we’re starting with. I’m sure we’ll continue to grow it along as we get used to running a kitchen in this space.”
Many of the ingredients for the new kitchen are sourced from providers located along the front range. The tempeh came from Boulder while the hot sauce and dry rub that seasoned the wings were found at Denver’s Black Magic seasoning. The kitchen’s vegetables come from farms including Miller Farms and Ragged Roots.
The debut of the pub is the start of a busy season for the distiller. If schedules stay on course, on Black Friday they plan to release a single malt whiskey made in a collaboration with Left Hand Brewing.
“We worked with Left Hand and had them brew their Galactic Cowboy just for us, without hops. It’s basically a whiskey made from a beer.”
