Earls Kitchen + Bar Unveils The Cocktail Lab

The recently opened Earls Kitchen + Bar at the Prudential Center is unveiling the Canadian-based brand’s most innovative sub-concept yet on the first floor of the new, 14,500 square foot flagship location. Dubbed “The Cocktail Lab at Earls,” Earls’ internationally renowned beverage director Cameron Bogue is bringing one of the East Coast’s most intensive experimental lab to fruition, taking Earls’ cocktail program to new heights and promoting cocktail freedom amongst top Boston mixology personalities who will be invited in to take over the stick as featured bartenders.

The Cocktail Lab’s drink menu will be entirely different from that of Earls’ upper level, featuring a twist on six famous Boston classics including the Ward 8 (Canadian whiskey, lemon, orange, grenadine and mint), the Irma La Deuce (Hendricks gin, Chartreuse, lemon, grapefruit, cucumber) the Agony & Ecstacy (Vida mezcal, St. Germain, grapefruit, ginger beer and chipotle Tabasco) – which was created by Sam Treadway of Union Square’s Backbar – in addition to another original creation by one of Boston’s best and missed bartenders John Gertson, formerly of Drink, the Contessa (Gin, blanc vermouth, Aperol and a little bit of lemon oil). The Cocktail Lab’s guest bartenders will then add to the offerings by creating three of their own, unique cocktails to serve up during their shifts.

“’The Cocktail Lab’ will give us a platform to bring something entirely unique to our bar program while giving these awesome, talented people a place to shine outside their expected dwellings,” said Bogue.

Each week, The Cocktail Lab at Earls will team up with Boston’s most skilled and influential bartenders recruited from local establishments – a program spearheaded by The Lab’s manager and Boston’s cocktail scene wiz Melinda Maddox – to showcase their techniques while offering them an opportunity to experiment with science behind the bar. The current roster of bartenders include Schuyler Hunton from A4cade, Andrea Pentabona from The Independent, Kate Holowchik of The Lincoln Group, cocktail author and blogger Fred Yarm and Mark Young and Hazel James from Viale.

To test the limits of cocktail making, Earls invested in a set of rare and expensive machinery for ‘The Lab’ that might be unfamiliar to most bartenders in these parts. Located on the restaurant’s lower level, the HDTV-lined ‘Cocktail Lab’ bar boasts luxury state-of-the-art equipment highlighted by two incredibly sophisticated machines: the Rotary Evaporator and a Refrigerated Circulator.

The Rotary Evaporator, also referred to as the Rotovap, is a distillation machine with the ability to extract concentrates and oils from ingredients at very low temperatures through a vacuum approach. “Think intensely, fresh aromatherapy in a glass,” said Bogue. “With this equipment, bartenders can create their own flavored spirits through distillation and literally make a signature beverage from the essence of an ingredient.”

Contrary from the Rotovap’s extraction approach, the Refrigerated Circulator intrigues with its capacity to immerse flavors operating at temperatures cold enough to freeze alcohol. “It’s mind-blowing that we can now actually create a cocktail inside of a cocktail,” said Bogue. “With the techniques of this machine, you can taste the flavors of two different cocktails at once by freezing cocktails into any shape, such as a sphere, and filling it with another cocktail.”

Guest bartenders will be scheduled to appear at ‘The Cocktail Lab at Earls’ during weekday evenings. Each featured talent will serve up customized specialty cocktails featuring premium products that range from $8-$12 per drink.

Follow @EarlsPrudential on Instagram for updated ‘stories’ with information about daily drinks and bartender schedules.

Earls Restaurants Ltd. and the Fuller Group of Restaurants is a family-owned operation started by LeroyEarl (Bus) Fuller in 1982 with their first restaurant in Edmonton, Alberta. His son Stan Fuller is CEO and serves as the creative inspiration for the evolution of Earls menus by applying the flavours he discovers among his global travels. President, Mo Jessa has worked alongside the family for twenty-five years since his start as a dishwasher and rise through the kitchen and operations. Together their authentic love for food and people has built Earls into one of North America’s most successful, family-owned and operated restaurant groups with 66 restaurants across Canada (56) and the United States (10). From humble beginnings as a laid-back beer and burger joint, Earls grew into a beloved brand that now offer upscale casual dining and drinking environments.