The Bottled Cocktail Trend Reaches Philly at Garces Trading Company

The coolest trend in cocktails is coming to Center City, just in time to beat the heat, at Chef Jose Garces’ European cafe, Garces Trading Company (GTC) (1111 Locust Street, 215-574-1099) where Beverage Manager Brandon Thomas is creating Hand-Bottled Carbonated Cocktails. Dine-in guests can enjoy three seasonally-changing varieties of the tipples, for $12 each, which are mixed and then bottled with carbonation.

[quote]“We want to offer our customers something a little different, so we are creating great cocktails with a fizzy twist,” says Thomas.[/quote]

These effervescent drinks are opened, poured and garnished to order, making them a perfect accompaniment to a meal of the restaurant’s refined cafe-style cuisine or a refreshing drink while sitting al fresco at one of the sidewalk tables. Throughout the seasons, Thomas will create new and exciting combinations. Currently, the restaurant bottles three varieties including: Americano, Campari and Sweet Vermouth with orange oil, garnished with orange peel; Avenue 1111, Tanqueray with house-made lime cordial, ginger beer and mint leaves, garnished with fresh mint; and Pepino Fresco, a version of the drink Chef Garces’ prepared during his Tortillas and Tequila battle on Iron Chef America, which mixes Cuervo Gold and St. Germain elderflower liqueur with celery juice, cucumber juice and lemon juice, garnished with paper-thin cucumber wheels. They are available exclusively to dine-in guests at Garces Trading Company, where Thomas makes batches of the drinks, freezes them to 30 degrees, carbonates and bottles the cocktails.

Set in a bright and welcoming market atmosphere with high ceilings, warm wooden tables and white subway tiled walls, Garces Trading Company offers a one-of-a-kind culinary experience, combining a dizzying assortment of gourmet retail items with a full-service restaurant serving Chef Garces’ award-winning cuisine. The vibrant restaurant has been featured in Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure which named it one of the “top brunches in America.” The Philadelphia Inquirer gave Garces Trading Company a coveted “Three Bells: Excellent” review and praised their “uniquely ambitious” wealth of dining options.

Garces Trading Company is open Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday brunch is available from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. and dinner is served until 10 p.m. For more information, please call (215) 574-1099, visit and follow them on Twitter (@GarcesTradingCo).