This Lexington restaurant has a surprising craft cocktail lineup

For four years now, Arkos in Lexington has delighted, intrigued and, in some cases, confused palates. And that’s by design.

Located in the Shoppes at Flight Deck, the gastropub-style Mediterranean-influenced shareable food menu is balanced with a list of craft cocktails that you might expect from someplace in the Vista or an upscale establishment in Five Points.

“We get it all the time – ‘You guys don’t belong in Lexington. Go to Columbia with your concept,’ ” said Ray Martinez, 26, general manager and head bartender. “But we’re seeing more and more people come in that appreciate our craft and our art. We have people come from as far as Augusta to have our cocktails and food.”

Since its inception, Martinez says the plan has been to introduce people comfortably to something different. Take Arkos’ most popular drink, the “avocadotini,” for example, which is made with Cruzan mango rum, DeKuyper 03 orange liqueur, avocado, lime, orange and agave nectar.

“Some places make headaches in a glass,” Martinez says. “We try to make our drinks as pure as possible while presenting full flavors.”

Right now, the main drink menu is broken down into four subcategories: martinis, margaritas, caipirinha, mojitos and classic cocktails with a twist. A French 75, for instance, is called a Bridget 75, made with white grape syrup instead of lemon juice, and served in a coupe glass instead of a champagne flute.

Other popular cocktails include the passionate mojito (made with Bacardi white, mint, lime, passionfruit pulp and pistachio orgeat) and a brunch favorite, the cucumber rosemary lemonade (made with cucumber vodka, rosemary simple syrup and fresh lemon – “It’s a bit of a hair of the dog,” said Martinez. “It’s popular and very refreshing, especially if you’re not feeling so hot. It brightens you back up.”)

“Our clientele are people who want to be with each other,” said Martinez. “You’re going to bring your college buddy here that you haven’t seen in years to catch up. Your first date night – we actually had a couple in here the other day, and they had their first date here, they came back for their first-year anniversary, and they came in here for the meeting of the parents because they’re getting married.”

Plans for expansion have been discussed, but even if the opportunity presented itself to add Chapin, Columbia or even West Columbia to the list of Arkos locales, Lexington will always be home.

“We love Arkos in Lexington and introducing people here to different things,” said Martinez.

This story was originally published September 20, 2017 at 12:26 PM with the headline "This Lexington restaurant has a surprising craft cocktail lineup."