Cocktails with a Rhythm All Their Own
There’s something quietly radical burgeoning in East Providence. This September marks two full years since Myrtle opened its doors—a real triumph for a place that has always put community, collaboration and creative spirit first. Myrtle is a cocktail bar and live music venue with a patio out back, a rotating cast of performers and a rhythm all its own.
On any given night, you might hear folk, jazz, ambient loops, stand-up, a drag anthem, experimental guitar—or something that defies category altogether. The space was founded in September 2023 by partners and longtime artist-musicians Tommy Allen and Natalie Vanlandingham, who spent years working in bars and music venues before bringing their vision to East Providence. Natalie says, “Our cocktails speak for themselves and give people a reason to come see what we’re about.”
Spotlight center stage: London Calling, a petal-pink riff on a gimlet with London dry gin, fresh lime juice and dry curaçao in place of Rose’s lime juice for a sweet citrusy bounce and a splash of cranberry juice for its rosy hue.
“She’s the Cosmo’s punk cousin from across the pond,” says Natalie while dashing two drops of orange blossom water into the cocktail shaker to harmonious effect.
I joined the Myrtle team in the spring of 2024 and began helping Natalie design the cocktail menu not long after. This fall, Myrtle will debut Bless Your Heart (do I sense a dash of Southern irony?), a spin on an Arnold Palmer. The drink employs Natalie’s family sweet tea recipe infused with maple syrup and spiked with ISCO x Myrtle Vodka, their branded spirit collaboration with Industrious Spirits Company in Providence. Topped with fresh lemonade, the drink is layered—golden sunrays above a dark horizon—arrayed with fresh herbs and a dehydrated orange wheel as the half sail.
Tommy says, “We’re welcoming the community into our space, and the Bless Your Heart is the drink to make anyone feel at home.”
Or, he suggests trying my recipe for The Wurlitzer, which happens to be his favorite Manhattan of the moment, with bourbon, a hint of XO (espresso syrup) and Amaro Ramazzotti, a bittersweet, orangey spiced liqueur—a recipe that skips the sweet vermouth altogether. Is the brandied cherry the recipe’s real secret? Or is it the double dose of bitters: two dashes each of Angostura bitters and orange bitters that give it perfect pitch?
Lately, whenever I run into friends whom I haven’t seen in a while, I find myself asking, “Have you been to Myrtle yet?” Like most best things in life, you know if you know.
Willa Van Nostrand is an award-winning mixologist, beverage consultant and owner of Little Bitte Artisanal Cocktails and World’s Fair Gallery. Visit her at LittleBitte.com.
