Summertime is all about kicking back on a patio and enjoying an ice cold drink with good company. If you haven’t had the chance to experience The Theodore’s happy hour yet, call your best friends and schedule some post-work fun immediately. Kyle Hilla, best known as longtime bar manager of Bolsa, is now taking charge as “Liquid Architect” at The Theodore. What exactly does a “Liquid Architect” do? Hilla works on creating well-balanced, multilayered cocktails using simple ingredients that change with the seasons.

Recently, we stepped behind the bar with Hilla and learned a little more about the unique and inspired cocktail menu.

IO: What is in the Glacier Bay cocktail?

KH: The Glacier Bay is comprised of Pimm’s, Cointreau, lemon juice and ginger beer. The drink is carbonated and served with lemon, mint and cucumber ice.
 

IO: What is the inspiration behind the cocktail menu?

KH: The cocktail menu was taking familiar classics and doing a fun and imaginative twist to them.

IO: How do you come up with the cocktail names?

KH: The cocktails are named after national parks in honor of the iconic Theodore Roosevelt and his conservation efforts.

IO: What is your favorite cocktail on the menu?

KH: My favorite cocktail is the Badlands. It is my favorite because it’s a boozy cocktail, but also takes a classic New York sour and reinvents it into this fun time-released cocktail that evolves into a deeper flavor as you drink it.
 

Be sure to check out The Theodore’s special happy hours on our events calendar.