Published Aug. 5, 2026at6:00am<\/p>\n
Elmer Mejicanos has built beverage programs around low-alcohol cocktails<\/a>, pizza pairings, and Girl Scout cookies<\/a>. Now, one of the city\u2019s most ambitious mixologists is taking on a classic: the martini.<\/p>\n The project allows Mejicanos and his business partner Adam Rosenblum a chance to pivot after an unexpected setback. Their boozy homage to Jewish delis, Super Mensch<\/a>, closed in May, and the duo had to find another use for the postage-stamp-sized annex to their Marina restaurant Causwells. It was previously home to Lilah, another short-lived project that focused on low-proof drinks. Now, Fridays through Mondays, it functions as a full-service overflow area for the ever-busy Causwells. But on Tuesdays through Thursdays, it will be Causwells Martini Room (opens in new tab)<\/a>, a forum for Mejicanos to showcase the greatest hits from his ever-evolving cocktail lists.<\/p>\n The menu is simple. There are three categories of martini \u2014 dry, bright and juicy, and savory \u2014 with three options each, plus a single appetizer, entree, and dessert. It\u2019s built for date nights and midweek catch-ups with friends, Mejicanos says. \u201cIf two people show up, you can build a full dinner: the full menu, plus two to three martinis. You\u2019ll be so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s dusting off drinks his fans have been requesting for years. Under the \u201cdry\u201d column, the Causwells Martini features gin, eucalyptus bitters, and a white-peach balsamic vinegar, served in a mini bathtub as a play on Prohibition-era moonshine. In the \u201cbright and juicy\u201d category, the Clarified Cosmo combines orange-leaf-infused vodka, French orange liqueur, and organic white cranberry juice. As a garnish, the team dissolves a segment of mandarin orange in pectin to remove the pith, and the result is a clear, acidic cocktail with a burst of citrus at the end. \u201cIt tastes like a cosmo, but it looks like a Gibson,\u201d Mejicanos says.<\/p>\n