John Thomas & Son: The One-Woman Show
Some people drink to relax, others drink to forget, but at John Thomas & Son, people drink to witness a sorcerer in action. It’s a place where cocktails are the craft and the element of surprise is its mystical power. Here lies a hidden speakeasy located inside The House Of Machines and is also the secret lair to Amanda (a.k.a. Bad Birdy), bartender and Global Cocktail Creative.
“John Thomas & Son was created with me in mind, we wanted to create an entirely different experience from The House Of Machines and what we have is something much more intimate, where I can talk to the guests, find out what kind of cocktails they’d like to experience and create a show for them,” says Amanda.
The experience begins from the moment you search for the bar. Guests are given a numerical code to access a keypad fastened onto a secret door. It’s an action that feels exclusive, yet parallels the security measures taken for Starbucks restrooms across America. Thankfully, the reveal is worlds apart. Inside John Thomas & Son, guests are welcomed into a dark and cozy lounge outfitted with leather, leaves, and liquor.
This particular bar has no menu. Instead, guests are presented with a tray of fresh herbs, fruits, syrups, and whatever Amanda has sourced from the farmer’s market. Once their preferred ingredients and liquor are chosen, she goes behind the bar to create something entirely bespoke. This approach makes every cocktail custom and in confidence. It’s like having complete control, yet none at all.
One of her signature drinks is the Bumble Bird, a gin-based cocktail featuring sage and orange peel infused honey, Angostura bitters, mint, pistachio oil, and the essence of fresh-cut grass. Observing Amanda craft a cocktail was like witnessing Fred Astaire finesse his way across a stage. She rattled a cocktail shaker to the beat of cha-cha and poured with elegance as she extended the tips of her tattoo covered fingers. Once poured, Amanda doesn’t just stick a straw in it and serve you — that’s not part of Bad Birdy’s brand. The drink is served in a bee-shaped chalice and presented on a tray festooned with forestry and a brawny tea kettle. When it was carried from the bar to the lounge area, the tea kettle spewed an enormous amount of grass-scented smoke that would put any vaping competition to shame. Take a whiff, then take a sip. The sensorial experience was created to evoke a honey bee flying through the air.
One may think a concept like this would arise from a fever dream — or the imaginative mind of Amanda. When it comes to flavors, Amanda credits her inspiration to chefs. “When I go to restaurants and I am impressed by the ingredients and flavors, I’ll figure out a way to translate them into cocktails.” The inspiration is apparent with her famous Proper 86 cocktail, a smoked old fashioned with brûléed lemon. It’s crafted with smoking techniques chefs use for meats and a torching technique used to caramelize the tops of crème brûlée.
“At the end of the night, I want everyone who comes here to feel like we’re friends. I want them to go home and tell all their friends about the experience they had,” says Amanda. John Thomas & Son is such an intimate space, that it allows for Amanda to chat, educate, and entertain guests as if they’re welcomed into her own home. One word to the wise, Amanda’s go-to drink is simply gin and soda, so the next time you’re at John Thomas & Son, buy a round for Bad Birdy, too.
@johnthomasandson | 2028 E 7th St.
Written by Janica de Guzman | Photography by Robiee Ziegler
