The Counter Day Bar Brings a Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Bar to Crossroads Collective

MILWAUKEE: January 27, 2023 – The Counter Day Bar, a non-alcoholic cocktail bar, is opening its doors this February at Crossroads Collective Food Hall on Milwaukee’s East Side. Ryan Castelaz, the founder and creative director of Discourse, a coffee workshop, is leading the charge into new territory beyond coffee.

“Since day one at Discourse, our drink making style has revolved around telling stories, and The Counter Day Bar swings the doors of possibility wide open,” Castelaz explains, when asked about the natural progression from Discourse. “As a coffee shop, we have a shorter window of time to be with the guest and a different set of expectations, but as a cocktail bar, we have the ability to share everything we’ve learned over the last 7 years in a more structured setting. Our aim is to provide fine dining flourishes with corner bar feels – an elevated drinking experience for everyone.”

Discourse, a coffee workshop, will keep their two remaining locations in Milwaukee open to the public.

The Counter Day Bar’s mission is to provide a place for anyone and everyone to gather and feel seen, heard, and taken care of, regardless of whether they choose to consume alcohol. The Counter Day Bar team, helmed by General Manager Zoe Lomenzo, states that they are out to rid the world of the term mocktail and guide non-alcoholic cocktails to their rightful place at the cocktail table.

“Rather than thinking of non-alcoholic cocktails as a mimicry or a pale substitute for the familiar cocktail, we aim to demonstrate that we can produce the complexity, the finish, the connective experience, and of course the fun of a great cocktail without requiring alcohol.” Castelaz elaborates.

The opening menu, Myths & Fables, is an exploration of nine Aesop fables and Greco-Roman myths, re-imagined through drink. Each cocktail has been exhaustively workshopped by the team to offer a deeply complex profile and presentation, akin to your favorite craft cocktails.

The Counter Day Bar will be open seven days a week from 3pm – 9pm and will offer a 4-seat tasting counter, where Discourse, a coffee workshop was previously located. While seated at the counter, guests may enjoy beverages in the form of a three, five, or seven course tasting menu. Cocktails will also be available as a la carte, for a more casual drinking experience within the dining hall of Crossroads Collective.

Handcrafted cocktails will only be available for purchase on-site, while pre-made, canned non- alcoholic products will be available for pickup or delivery through the Crossroads Collective online ordering platform.

“We can’t think of a team better suited to the task of bringing NA beverage to Milwaukee than the team behind Discourse Coffee” comments Paige Hammond, General Manager at Crossroads Collective. “Our food hall has seen many local restaurateurs bring their visions to life, and The Counter Day Bar concept might be one of the most revolutionary. We couldn’t be more excited for opening day.”

The Counter Day Bar is set open its doors to the public within the Crossroads Collective Food Hall on February 1, 2023, bringing new energy and a more inclusive cocktail environment to the vibrant East Side neighborhood. For those who choose to enjoy alcohol, spirits are available just next door at Crossroads Collective’s Pharmacy Bar. With their impressive array of alcoholic concoctions and The Counter Day Bar’s addition of NA experiences, the East Side food hall is set to become a can’t-miss destination for the city’s best cocktails.

Crossroads Collective food hall provides vendors like The Counter Day Bar with shared resources to alleviate the overhead associated with opening a restaurant or bar, and allows chefs and restaurateurs to test new concepts and bring new flavors to Milwaukee’s food scene.

Visit CrossroadsCollectiveMKE.com to view menus and place online orders.

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