Ever wished you could grab one more drink at Kahiki, Betty’s, or the Clarmont? If the answer is yes (and let’s be real, we all yearn for a walk down memory lane), Soul at The Joseph has the next best thing.
The Short North cocktail bar has extended its popular Lost Cocktails of Columbus menu through September 20, adding four new cocktails and a locally inspired beer that pay tribute to some of the city’s most memorable restaurants, bars, and gathering places.
The pop-up was introduced earlier this year, and the menu takes a creative approach to local history.
Instead of simply recreating vintage recipes, each cocktail reimagines a drink that captures the spirit of a different era in Columbus dining, complete with stories about the businesses that helped shape the city’s food and drink scene.
The newest additions span more than a century of Columbus history.
Beer lovers can start with Gold Top Beer, a Dortmunder-style pale lager inspired by Hoster Brewing Company, one of Columbus’ brewing giants in the late 1800s. Founded by German immigrant Louis Hoster, the brewery became one of the largest in the Midwest before Prohibition forced it to close, leaving behind a legacy that’s still woven into the city’s brewing history.
READ MORE: The Historic Columbus Bars Worth Time-Traveling For
The Clover Leaf nods to two downtown institutions: The Catacombs and The Nut House. The Nut House opened in 1897 as a family-owned peanut roaster and evolved into one of downtown’s most beloved lunch counters, while its basement lounge, The Catacombs, became a popular nightlife destination in the 1940s.
The menu also welcomes a Vesper Martini inspired by the Clarmont, a longtime downtown restaurant that became synonymous with classic fine dining during the 1950s, and a Midwest Negroni honoring the Christopher Inn, a Worthington favorite that served generations of central Ohio diners before closing in 2019.
The most recent chapter of Columbus restaurant history gets its moment with Running With Scissors and Playing With Matchsticks, a cocktail inspired by Light of Seven Matchsticks. The intimate cocktail bar, tucked beneath the former Natalie Hall in Clintonville, earned a devoted following for its inventive drinks before closing earlier this year.
Those new additions join a lineup that already reads like a greatest hits of Columbus dining history.
There’s a tropical Kahiki Coffee Grog inspired by the legendary Polynesian palace on East Broad Street, a Lawn Dart paying homage to the endlessly quirky Betty’s Fine Food & Spirits, and a Pocketful of Sunshine celebrating the much-missed Mouton. Other cocktails tip their hats to destinations like the Deshler Hotel, Jai Lai, the Elephant Bar, and the Chittenden Hotel, giving guests a chance to sip through more than 100 years of local history.
READ MORE: Lost History Of Columbus: The Chittenden Hotel
The experience goes beyond what’s in the glass. Local illustrator Fiona Miller created original artwork inspired by the buildings and neighborhoods behind each featured establishment, adding another layer of storytelling to the menu. Together, the illustrations and cocktail descriptions create a visual timeline of Columbus’ ever-evolving restaurant scene.
Whether you actually remember ordering drinks at the Clarmont or you’ve only heard stories about Kahiki’s legendary volcano cocktails, Lost Cocktails of Columbus offers a fun reminder that some of the city’s best restaurants may be gone, but they’re far from forgotten.
The Lost Cocktails of Columbus menu is available now at Soul at The Joseph through September 20.
