Bin612 owners Brian Kelley and Ty Thames are having the grand opening of their new martini bar, Tonic, which will open Thursday in the former location of The Coffee District.
Tonic is located directly beside Up Your Alley and across the street from Bin612. In addition to having 30 different specialized martinis, it will also be the only place in town to find farm-raised oysters.
“Wherever the oysters are the freshest, we get them shipped to us,” Kelley said. “Right now they are the best from Canada, so we would overnight them.”
Thames added that Mississippi is one of the only states that is able to get quality farm-raised oysters.
Tonic’s menu will consist of three specialized items with shrimp cocktail as the appetizer, raw oysters as the main entr‹¨e and chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert. All of the martinis are original recipes holding a variety of unique names such as Daydream, Candy Apple, Gypsy and the Haunted Bride.
After The Coffee District was unsuccessful at the location, Kelley approached Thames with the idea to open a martini bar in its place with hopes of it being a change from the everyday. The pre-opening was held during Bulldog Bash, when oysters and beer were served.
The designer of Tonic, Carley Houpt, said the interior had a very modern feel due to the wrap-around seating, granite countertops and photographs of martinis on the wall. It will be a very rich, contemporary atmosphere, she added. All of the martinis will be kept cool and served in stainless steel martini glasses as well.
“Tonic is the only place in Mississippi where you can find these stainless steel martini glasses,” Houpt said. “You can basically throw one against the wall, and it won’t break.”
The estimated capacity will be around 30 people. No tables will exist, giving it more of an upscale feel, but stools will go around the bar.
“It will be a similar environment to Elixir in Jackson,” Thames said. “We’re thinking Tonic will bring more people to this area, boost business and everyone will feed off each other.”
The martini, although Tonic’s main focus, will not be the only drink that is served. Beer and liquor will also be available. The bar will receive its liquor license today.
“I think that it’s a great idea that there are bars concentrated into one area,” said MSU student John Pollman. “People don’t have to drive anywhere if they’ve been drinking. They can just walk.”
Thames and Kelley’s main goal is to keep people in the area and have live music five nights a week with hopes that Bin612 will profit from Tonic. Up Your Alley owners John Fontaine and Robert Camp feel that Tonic will attract more people from downtown and, therefore, help their business as well.
“I think it will attract a different type of crowd with it being a specialty-type bar,” Camp said.
Thames said that someone could go inside and feel like they’re not in Starkville at all. Though upscale and less casual than Bin612, he doesn’t want anyone to feel like they’re not welcome. It is a very approachable place, he said.
“It’s such a different idea for the town of Starkville,” said Jenny Ezell, a waitress at Bin612. “It’s also very nice to have it right across the street.”