As Baby Gee unveils its summer cocktail menu, owner Gianna Johns is doubling down on a message she feels often gets lost amid the buzz surrounding the bar’s more elaborate drinks: accessibility.
While the Long Beach cocktail destination continues to expand its offerings—including a new reserve cocktail section built around rare and premium spirits at a fraction of the cost—Gianna wants guests to understand that Baby Gee remains a bar where virtually every budget can find a place.
Baby Gee truly is a Long Beach bar, where high-brow and low-brow perfectly coexist.
There’s an odd narrative about Baby Gee that claims pretense and costliness; that all the drinks are $22, and that simplicity doesn’t exist. And that—given you can score a $3 beer here with a $4 hot dog—simply isn’t true.
“You can get a $10 cocktail,” Gianna said. “A fully composed cocktail every day of the week for $10. And I want people to know that we have cheaper draft beer than most places. Or the fact that you can come at 4PM on any day of the week, get half off a bottle of natural wine… I like the fact that we have a fully curated high ball menu that doesn’t break the bank. Or this ‘Silly Shooties’ section that uses quality spirits for easy, Baby Gee-style shots.”
Baby Gee continues to do what it does best: raise the bar while providing access.
The summer menu’s biggest addition is a reserve cocktail program that showcases exceptional spirits at prices Johns believes significantly undercut their true value.
“It would be accurate to say the reserve cocktail menu is a premium spirit cocktail experience at a tremendous value,” Gianna said.
For instance, the reserve Cadillac margarita will rotate between mescalero-driven and wild agave mezcals. If you were to cold-call these in a Cadillac, you might be looking at anywhere from a $30 to $45 pricetag. Baby Gee? $25.
Baby Gee has concocted hundreds of unique cocktails across its three years—but how?
Behind the scenes, Gianna’s approach to cocktail creation is much like a chef’s approach to cooking. While inspiration can come from ingredients, personal experiences, or even a drink’s name, every cocktail ultimately traces its lineage back to a typical family of drinks.
“It’s almost impossible not to riff off the base of a classic because there’s nothing new under the sun,” she said. “Classic cocktails are what they are for a reason… We determine what we call the lowest common denominator. That’s the most relatable classic cocktail that we can compare it to. So that when we’re explaining these to guests, they can understand what to expect.”
The Baby Gee team embraces this philosophy by teaching staff to explain original creations through familiar points of reference. A guest ordering the whimsical Merlin’s Beard, for example, might hear it described simply as “a margarita that works for dinner,” while another cocktail might be introduced as “like a martini, but savory and tropical.”
The approach helps bridge the gap between Baby Gee’s playful, often fantastical cocktail names and the flavor profiles guests already know and love.
Baby Gee’s newly minted summer menu
That balance between creativity and familiarity is perhaps best illustrated in one of the menu’s more technically ambitious offerings, “Schmendricks Pasture,” a freezer cocktail featuring house-made wheatgrass dilution.
“What it really is, is we’re juicing fresh wheatgrass,” Gianna Said. “But the yield is so low so we cut it with a little water, and instead of stirring the cocktail and adding water by way of ice, we’re adding that wheatgrass tea as the dilution.”
For Gianna, regardless of how a cocktail is made, the ultimate goal remains unchanged: offering guests everything from an affordable beer-and-shot combination to meticulously crafted cocktails built around some of the world’s finest spirits. The summer menu may expand Baby Gee’s ambitions, but it also reinforces its belief that great drinking experiences should be available at every price point.
Highlights from Baby Gee’s 2026 Summer menu…
Cocktails
One Horned Shorty ($18): Vietnamese Gin | Matcha | Cucumber | Roselle Gin Jam | Chia Seed Soda
Schmendricks Pasture ($20): Oxacan Agave Spirit | Fresh Pressed Pineapple | Lemongrass | Hemp
Lilac Vago ($18): Cachaça | Blackberry Violet | Pineapple Coconut | Lavender | Lime
Ignus Fatuus ($18): Vodka | Dry Vermouth | Meyer Lemon | Oregano Soda
Merlin’s Beard ($20): Tequila Blanco | Amaro Bianco | Cucumber | Absinthe | Salted Watermelon Foam
Peg Legged Pirate Cat ($18): Allspice Dram | Espresso | Coffee Liqueur | Framboise | Vanilla
Fancy Highballs
Bubble Gum ($13): Japanese Barley Shochu | Banana | Pink Peppercorn | Soda
Black Cherry ($12): Bourbon | Black Cherry Soda
Ginger ($13): Tennessee Whiskey | Alpine Hay | Ginger Beer
Sparkling Coconut ($14): Gin | Coconut Water
Gibson & Tonic ($13): Gin | Rose Vermouth | Cherry Blossom Tonic | Pickled Onion
Guava Colada ($14): Vodka | House Coconut Milk | Guava | Soda
Watermelon ($13): Tequila or Mezcal | Aperol | Watermelon | Soda
Reserve Cocktails
Death in the Afternoon ($22): Absinthe | Cava | Lemon Twist
Midnight Caper ($24): Vietnamese Roselle Gin | Rosso Vermouth | Indian Bitter | Cacao | Antarctic Seawater
Cadillac Mezcal Margarita ($24): Reposado Mezcalero | Fresh Lime | California Orange Liqueur
Cask Strength Green Point ($26): Cask Strength Bourbon | Yellow Chartreuse | Sweet Vermouth | Bitters | Lemon Twist
The Last Unicorn Dream Martini ($80): Vodka | Pear | Clarified Coconut | Elderflower | Fig Leaf Vermouth
Silly Shooties
Saffron Gin, Peach & Lemon ($9)
Tequila, Cacao, Banana & Lime ($9)
Absinthe & Rootbeer ($11)
Mystery Shot ($8)
Baby Gee Bar is located at 1227 E. 4th St.
