Gervais and Vine: Cool drinks for hot summer nights

Since 1999 Gervais and Vine has serviced Columbia with its taste of Mediterranean-influenced tapas, diverse wine selection and weekly live music. The atmosphere is pleasantly relaxing, welcoming a diverse crowd ranging from young professional to retirees. Essentially anyone who enjoys a good cocktail, good food and a good vibe.

“The theme of the restaurant is tapas so its a gathering,” said Manager Melanie Parker. “Its an opportunity for people to get together and share a lot of small plates Mediterranean style.”

But if you’re coming here just for a cocktail then your taste buds are in for the time of their lives. With the kitchen being tight on space and receiving locally grown commodities daily, the bar’s ever-evolving drink specials menu re-purposes what they can to the customer’s delight.

One of their newer creations, ginger bubbles, has become such a fast-favorite its being turned into a regular drink menu item.

“We actually make our own ginger simple syrup for that and put crystallized ginger in it and add Italian prosecco on top of it,” said Parker.

Owner Roberta Prioleau is a fan of the Gervine Paloma, made with daily squeezed grapefruit and lime juice, Espolon silver tequila and a pinch of kosher salt.

“She’s bringing that back into style,” said Parker. “We put a little twist on our paloma by topping it with Steigl Grapefruit Beer instead of just topping it with soda. It gives it that extra kick.”

And thanks to the creative staff, the menu also features a basil-grapefruit martini and a a gimlet they make out of cucumber mint gin that they infuse in house.

“We rely on the staff so much when we have ‘bartenders block’,” said Parker. “We also just went through strawberry mint margaritas as well. The kitchen asks us if we can do something with [the remaining produce] and our answer is of course we can.”

But the drink Parker is most proud of these days is dubbed the Medusa.

“I wanted to come up with something so unique and strangely delicious that its just going to put us on the map,” she said. “So the Medusa was born from Madeira Port blended with an aged scotch and a raspberry liquor that’s topped with smoked sugar blackberries.”

And according to Jeremy Green, a veteran server, mixing scotch with others is on trend.

“Scotch cocktails are what’s happening right now,” he said. “Typically its just consumed with water or ice but we’re doing a lot of fun things with it. Taking the unapproachable out of scotch and putting it back into younger hands.”

It sounds like putting a drink in people’s hands won’t be a problem for this downtown fixture anytime soon.

“Gervais and Vine is such a cult classic in its own way and that’s what we’re here for,” said Parker.

This story was originally published July 29, 2015 at 7:00 PM.