photograph by abigail morici
Patrick Gilbert offers the author a “Smokin’ Gin and Phonics.”
Wielding a tiny hand-held torch, Patrick Gilbert toasts a sliver of an orange rind before dropping it in the drink he has titled a “Cairo Cosmo.” It’s a fitting moniker from a fine-dining restaurant with a nod to Memphis’ Egyptian namesake.
Taking its name from the sacred bird of the ancient Egyptians, IBIS opened on December 22, 2022, in the former Pontotoc Lounge space on South Main, which has since been re-outfitted with an eclectic vibe, mixing the modern with the antique. Gilbert, for his part, works as the general manager and created the drink menu.
photograph by abigail morici
The “Cairo Cosmo.”
“I wanted the bar to be uniquely different from what Memphis bars are,” says Gilbert, who has worked in the restaurant industry here for 20 years or so. “I feel like some of the people’s mixed drinks are always so sweet. It’s like you can’t get away from the barbecue sauce and all the sugar. So I wanted some things that were a little bit more balanced — some plays on classic cocktails.”
The “Cairo Cosmo” is the first drink Gilbert serves me after mixing Old Dominick’s Honeybell Citrus Vodka, cranberry juice, lime juice, a bit of vanilla, and orange cognac. And, of course, there’s the orange rind, for which he whips out the torch. Never have I been treated to such showmanship, as a tiny flame sparks up against the rind. “It actually opens up all the citrus notes from the rind to give it a little bit more of a tartness,” he explains, and the citrus notes are indeed opened in this drink as far as I can tell, as I find the drink more refreshing with each sip.
“I’m not reinventing the wheel,” Gilbert adds. “You’re doing different things. You’re adding an ingredient here or there, but you don’t want to overly complicate a drink.”
“The Cosmo is probably the most complex drink we have,” Gilbert says. “It’s got the most ingredients in it. There’s a lot going on, but if you can balance it out just right, it’s great. You don’t want to have too much going on.”
The “Sour Tower.”
Up next is the “Sour Tower,” a simple twist on a New York sour. Gilbert floats a dash of pinot noir on top of the whiskey, lemon juice, and honey concoction, and tendrils of garnet slowly disperse into the yellow drink before me. A layer of foam rises to the surface, adding an unusual yet pleasant texture to the beverage. The foam is made of chickpea juice, Gilbert says, instead of the egg whites that are typically used in New York sours. I’ve never had a New York sour, but I pay no mind to the egg-white replacement and I don’t think it’s a matter of not knowing any better.
“I’m not reinventing the wheel,” Gilbert adds. “You’re doing different things. You’re adding an ingredient here or there, but you don’t want to overly complicate a drink.” Instead, he works to find ways to elevate classic drinks, bringing out stronger flavor profiles and improving the mixology process.
For the last drink I taste — the “Smokin’ Gin and Phonics” — Gilbert begins by smoking the ice. If I thought the torch earlier was a spectacle, I was missing the mark. Smoke shrugs off the glass like fog.
“I found smoking the ice in the glass is actually better than just smoking the glass itself,” he says, “because the smoke attracts the ice and sticks to the ice, so by the time I get down to the bottom of it, even the last sip, all the flavors are still there.”
The subtle smoky flavor wowed me throughout my sipping endeavors, even as someone who doesn’t particularly love the taste of smoke. It’s an unusual drink, for sure, but enjoyable nonetheless, and in a category of its own on the menu. But then again, each of the drinks has been carefully curated to appeal to a range of tastes — from something sweeter like the Cairo Cosmo or a bit more on the sour side like the Sour Tower.
“You’re trying to give someone an experience for them to remember, a little bit of elegance and fun,” Gilbert says. “The bartender or the server has to understand what the guest is looking for, what they like and everything else. … If I can make everyone happy, I want to aim for it. It’s all about that human interaction, that enjoyment of what the simple things in life are really all about.”
IBIS is located at 314 South Main St.
