Cloak & Dagger's Cocktail Menu Is Full Of Surprises

Cloak & Dagger opens a new chapter for 2399 West 11th St. in Tremont, which has been home to a handful of restaurants and bars. For Casey Hughes and Cory Hajde, who opened Cloak & Dagger there in October, the spot was an opportunity to create a cozy author’s study filled with shelves of leather-bound books, and a cocktail menu as mysterious and mystical as any thriller.

The seasonally rotating menu features 12 drinks ranging from light and refreshing to bold and complex. Bartender Gabriela Holzer pulled from her experience working at Porco Lounge & Tiki Room to create the Torchbearer ($12) as a bridge between both sides of the menu. With a blend of Jamaican rums, banana liqueur, coconut cream, lime juice and angostura and cardamom bitters, it packs a tropical and intoxicating punch.

Presented with a half-lime husk that’s set on fire using 151-proof rum and sprinkled with cinnamon, it foreshadows everything Cloak & Dagger has in store. “The Torchbearer is a bold and celebratory drink,” says Holzer. “It is not for the faint of heart.” 2399 W. 11th St., Cleveland, 216-795-5657, cloakanddaggercle.com