As the craft beer and cocktails movement continues to steamroll through Buffalo, there are some retail components that are beginning to take off at the same time. Just as we have the Elmwood and Hertel Beer Merchants for our craft beer needs, we now have Queen City Shaken & Stirred (QCS&S) to satisfy our home and pro cocktail creation desires.
Queen City Shaken & Stirred owner and operator Kerry Quaile has fashioned herself a mixologist’s wonderland, where home bartenders and professionals alike can browse through a menagerie of cocktail inspired tools, glassware, books and even kitschy tiki ware. Before walking out with a set of sweet tiki glasses, I was able to pick Kerry’s brain about her inspirations, and the direction of her unusual niche business.
Kerry has been mixing craft cocktails at Buffalo establishments (including Vera) for upwards of six years. In that time she has become engrossed in the industry – not just the art of cocktail making, but also the lifestyle that the preparers lead. In order to share her knowledge with the rest of Buffalo, it was decided that she would open up her own shop, thus promoting the art of “cocktailing”.
Before Kerry was able to establish QCS&S, the first order of business was converting a beat up old storefront on Hertel Avenue into a bright, modern, streamlined boutique, complete with handy “mock” bars and custom industrial wall display units. The bars come into play when Kerry hosts classes, yes classes, that are aimed at teaching the general public about the finer things when crafting cocktails. For example, after being open for one month, QCS&S is now ramping up to bring Luc Thiers of Backbar in Boston and Joe Fee of Fee Brother’s in Rochester, to demonstrate and discuss the extensive world of bitters (September 25th at 6:00pm). The $20 class is first come first serve, so be sure to get there a tad early. “I consider bitters the salt and pepper of cocktails,” says Kerry. “There are limitless different kinds and flavors, some of which we sell here.”
Each month QCS&S will host a different class, featuring experts in different fields of expertise. But you don’t have to come to the classes in order to appreciate the finer side of cocktails. One stroll through QCS&S and you will come across a mix of new and vintage products, including ice picks, shakers, air pots (for warm seasonal cocktails), absinthe fountains, Moscow mule mugs, strainers, and various other accoutrements. Everything is laid out in an easy-to-find manner, and priced competitively with anything that you can find online. Plus, you don’t have to pay for shipping, you have the knowledge of an expert at your disposal, and you can even test out the products at the mock bars.
In a world where cocktails are king once again, QCS&S is the perfect place to snag gifts for the hard to please guys and gals who take their drink making seriously (while having fun at the same time). If you’re looking for the latest and greatest in bar tending trends, look no further than Queen City Shaken & Stirred in North Buffalo.
Queen City Shaken & Stirred | 1455 Hertel Ave | Buffalo, New York | (716) 235-8085 | Facebook
Photo of Quaile bar tending : Paul van hoy