Baby Gee Bar is consistent in many things but one thing spectacularly. That is a constantly revolving array of cocktails that span the approachable to the abstract to the avant-garde. And all are delicious and devourable in their own ways—whether aiming for subtle saccharine or solidly savory or steadily sour notes.
And their winter menu—a giddily gleeful, 15-cocktail celebration—continues that very consistency with everything from porch-pounders given their drinkability to ponder-producers given their complexity.
Baby Gee Bar’s newest cocktail menu is an ode to a long-gone Long Beach bar.
If there is anything to be said about Baby Gee Bar’s aesthetic and approach, it is always that owners Gianna Johns and Daniel Flores love and respect history.
Their summer menu this year featured a small array of three colorful and enameled glasses from the early 1960s. Each glass features some type of existing or no-longer-existing Long Beach landmark—from the Virginia Hotel that was demolished in 1933 to The Queen Mary—along with a brief history about some part of Long Beach. They found the initial trio at the Long Beach Swap Meet and sought others to build a collection via eBay and other resources.
The Circus Room aesthetic and logo inspired Baby Gee Bar’s latest menu. Photo by Brian Addison. Graphic courtesy of Vintage Menu Art.
This menu is no exception, garnering influence from the long-forgotten Circus Room. Once located at a now demolished building at the northwest corner of Long Beach Boulevard and 1st Street, it joined a haven of other bar staples. The tiki-centric Pago Pago and the cafe-meets-bar Silver Dollar toward its southern side. And then there was Ye Old Haven directly north.
To honor this wonderfully esoteric find, Gianna designed the saddened brother to Circus Room’s gloriously happy clown. It is featured on the center of their menu and, far more importantly, comes with a temporary tattoo sticker attached to their Cracker Jack Ol’ Flash cocktail, an ode to the prizes found in boxes of Cracker Jack. (And yes, Gianna hand-draws each and every Baby Gee menu.)
There’s a reason this bar continues to be celebrated—and that’s because they’re so respected by their peers.
Baby Gee Bar has had many reasons to celebrate—they’ve been recognized not just once but twice by the coveted and prestigious Spirited Awards while co-owner and lead bar maestro Gianna Johns scored recognition from the respected Star Chefs earlier this year—but when it comes down to it, they’re a Long Beach bar through and through.
A look at some of the drinks featured on Baby Gee Bar’s 2024 winter menu.
Witty plays on appletinis and sours. Joyous tributes to herbs, spices, and vegetables. Here are some highlights from Baby Gee Bar’s latest cocktail menu.
Baby Gee Appletini: Tequila | Mezcal | Apple | Smoked sunchoke | Shisho | Sake | Poblano
No Regrets: California gin | Dry vermouth | Grapefruit aperitivo | Sage | Seawater | Soda
People Eater Sour: Vodka | Beet | Caraway | Pomegranate | Pommeau | Cucumber | Absinthe | Egg white
Common Water: Mezcal | Eau di Vie de Vin | Celery | White pepper | Bitter lemoncello | Mastiha
Kitchen Gibson: Gin | Blanc vermouth | Caramelized onion | French fig | Smoked rosemary
Mildred’s Hole in One: Reposado tequila | Sotol | Coffee | Fernet | Lime | Sweet corn cream
Baby Gee Bar is located at 1227 4th St.
