Downtown Coffee Shop Adding Late-Night Cocktail Bar
Equal Parts, from the owners of Discourse, will offer seamless menu of alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails.
Baristas mix drinks at Discourse Downtown, 1020 N. Broadway. Photo taken Sept. 19, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.
What do you call a cocktail bar that caters to both alcohol consumers and strictly sober folks, as well as those who fall somewhere in between? Ryan Castelaz tried on a number of different titles before stumbling into a clear winner — Equal Parts.
The name arose serendipitously during a business meeting, said Castelaz, when his partner, Sean Liu, described the hybrid concept as “equal parts cocktail bar and non-alcoholic cocktail bar.”
“As soon as he said that, it was like a lightbulb in my head,” Castelaz said. “That’s really what it is.”
The partners, who also operate Discourse, are in the midst of launching the new concept — first as a pop-up, and eventually as a moonlight addition to the downtown cafe.
Equal Parts presents as an evolution of the partnership’s previous concept, The Counter. The non-alcoholic cocktail bar operated at Crossroads Collective for five months until its July closure.
“Equal Parts would not be a thing without The Counter,” said Castelaz, who called the experience “incredibly informative” and “a huge learning moment.”
“A big part of our mission is to provide a space for people who have chosen sobriety long-term,” he said. “What really is a focus right now is, how do we integrate non-alcoholic drinking into the life of somebody who has not made a sobriety decision, but has made the decision to act more conscientious about how they consume alcohol?”
Equal Parts will answer by way of a seamless experience, integrating alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions of cocktails that taste nearly identical in order to bring customers a fully customizable and inclusive experience, Castelaz said.
Zoe Lomenzo, general manager of The Counter, will continue on as general manager of Equal Parts.
Throughout the month of August, the pop-up concept will make weekend appearances at Uncle Wolfie’s Breakfast Tavern, 234 E. Vine St., serving non-alcoholic cocktails including a margarita, espresso martini, negroni and blood orange mimosa.
Lomenzo is on-site from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday making drinks in the restaurant’s back garden.
On Friday nights in August, Equal Parts pops up at Ivanhoe Plaza, outside of Crossroads Collective, 2238 N. Farwell Ave., from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. during the outdoor Sun Dry’d Open Mic.
Come mid to late-September, the cocktail bar will begin a residency at Discourse Downtown, 1020 N. Broadway. Friday and Saturday nights, the cafe space will transform after-hours into a cocktail lounge. The shift will likely include alternate lighting, curtaining and art, Castelaz said.
A menu for the residency will feature a lineup of classic cocktails such as manhattans and negronis. The hybrid menu includes alcoholic option and one that utilizes non-alcoholic spirits and other ingredients to mimic the flavor profile of a traditional cocktail.
In true fashion, the team will also offer a selection of creative cocktail interpretations that incorporate elements of sustainability, seasonality and storytelling.
“If you’re coming in and you’re looking for a great manhattan, we got you,” Castelaz said. “But if you’re coming in and you’re looking for something wild and weird and fun, we probably got you, too.”
Updates on the whereabouts of Equal Parts’ pop-ups, as well as future information about the September residency, will be available online.
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