The ice in your cocktail at Stir starts out weighing in at 300 pounds. Behind the scenes, staff freeze enormous blocks, then cut them into shapes suited to different drinks: long, rectangular pieces for Tom Collins, shaved ice for margaritas and Hemingway daiquiris, and giant cubes for old fashioneds.
Opening October 29 at Medley in Johns Creek, Stir makes its Georgia debut with a cocktail program that gives frozen water nearly as much attention as the spirits. It’s the sixth location for the restaurant, which got its start in Chattanooga’s historic train station. Oysters and seafood are the other major draw, with a rotating raw bar and a menu that stretches from lobster-crab cakes to broiled halibut.
The Johns Creek team expects to work through eight to 12 ice blocks a week, producing them in-house with a Clinebell machine, says beverage director Ron Brown. The shapes aren’t simply decorative: Larger pieces are intended to chill a drink while slowing dilution. Stir also makes its syrups, bitters, and tinctures in-house and squeezes fresh juices for the bar…