116 State floods West Columbia with its selection of white Russians
If you walk into a bar and see five white Russians what do you do? Drink them, of course.
At least that’s what they’d expect you to do at 116 State. Located on West Columbia’s hipster State Street since 2009, this bar is dimly lit and cozy, exactly where you’d want to sit and sip your fill of their famous array of white Russians.
“We sell a lot during brunch,” said bartender John Kimber, who’s been at the establishment since before it opened. “But people come in and have them as an after-dinner drink too. It’s a nice alternative to a cup of coffee. That’s what I want to get people into: having that white Russian as a coffee drink. Like a latte or cappuccino.”
Your choices include the classic white Russian, the Bolshevik Revolution – which features 116’s signature espresso vodka – the Nutty Rasputin, the Colorado Bulldog and the Black Russian.
“That’s one of the reasons we keep a lot of Kahluas around,” added Kimber. “They just work well with the espresso vodka.”
But not everyone is on the same page when it comes to a favorite. Kimber would say the Bolshevik Revolution is the most popular because of the flavor and signature vodka, but then there’s the Colorado Bulldog which is like a White Russian with Coke on top.
“I get it with Dr Pepper instead of Coke,” said Kelsey Lynch, one of the waitresses who’s tried the menu of Russians a few times over her two years working there. “I’ve never had a liquor cocktail with soda in it, so I thought that was really interesting. And it gives you a boost of caffeine along with the alcohol. It’s something different. It’s sweet and a white Russian at the same time.”
No matter which you choose, each of the $5.50 drinks will be lovingly topped with almonds as a garnish. And there’s talk of adding even more white Russians to the mixed drink mix.
“That’s something I’ve been working on recently,” said Kimber. “Seeing what varieties we can get out of our white Russian menu. Like maybe an iced coffee alcohol drink menu. I think people would be down for that.”
And it sounds like whatever they come up with will be a hit with their patrons, no matter what time of day or food choice.
“People will drink white Russians throughout their meal and order things that I would not order with a white Russian,” laughed Kimber. “It’s a sweeter drink, but some people drink it before, some after (a meal). It’s all over the place.”
Sounds like a place Jeff Bridges from “The Big Lebowski” would enjoy. Maybe a little too much.
Dwaun Sellers
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This story was originally published July 7, 2015 at 2:36 PM with the headline "116 State floods West Columbia with its selection of white Russians."