Saddle Up to High Hat After Hours, Tomorrow Night

Freret's High Hat Cafe transforms into a craft cocktail pop-up tomorrow night, December 1, from 10p.m-1a.m., when bar manager Ryan Iriarte's High Hat After Hours returns. With the help of his fellow bartender Lauren Holton, the duo offers six original cocktails that are certain to ring in the holidays, or at least boozily stave them off for a night.

What to expect? Lots of tincturing and tinkering from Iriarte, who has been busy making three different bitters? orange, hibiscus ginger, and cola.? plus his own cola, ginger ale, tonic, and a slew syrups.

"We're doing a lot with winter citrus," Iriarte tells Eater, "We have a Meyer Lemon Collins. It's kind of like a Tom Collins, but different, more gin, and we're adding green Chartreuse, plus a Meyer lemon coriandor syrup and Meyer lemon juice."

"I also found these ruby red naval oranges," Iriarte says. "They're really interesting. We're blending their juice with cardamom for another drink." There's also a play on a Manhattan with hints of coffee, a cocktail with Woodford Reserve, Iriarte's espresso syrup, and a touch of Kahlua.

They don't serve food, just great craft cocktails at the pop-up, "but we make all our own pickles at the High Hat," says Iriarte, "So if somebody gets hungry, you know I'm gonna fix them up a plate."

· Cocktail Week 2012 [-ENOLA]
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