Meet the New Cocktails at Delano's Franklin Lobby Bar

Delano makes its debut Sept. 1, and now the remodeled resort unveils its cocktail program in the lobby lounge dubbed Franklin.

Look for rare, premium liquors on the cocktail-centric drink menu such as custom Glen Moray scotch, a Woodford Reserve Double Oaked bourbon and Delano's hand-selected Black Barrel Mt. Gay rum. These barrel-aged liquors are part of the draught cocktails. Also find more than two dozen craft beers by the bottle and a selection of wines-by-the-glass, exclusive to Franklin.

You can also eat here. Dine on grilled flatbread cambozola with caramelized pears and walnuts; selections of charcuterie and cheeses; sea-salted pommes frites with smoked pepper ketchup; and fried pig ears served with togarashi, lime and black garlic-yuzo aioli.

The cocktail program though is the highlight, meant to start conversations with names that allude to hidden meanings, tongue-in-cheek monikers and historical references.

The New Deal is named for the signature achievement of the lounge's presidential namesake. This cognac-based drink features D'Usse Cognac, Licor 43, fresh lemon juice and orgeat syrup and is sweetened by emulsified Bonne Maman Plum Mirabelle marmalade.

Mr. Hyde combines hand-selected Oxley Gin, St. Germain, passion fruit, pineapple, lemon juice and kaffir leaves. Was the drink named for the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, or for Hyde Park, the site of FDR's Springwood estate?

The 1944 Classic Mai Tai is a nod to Trader Vic's, the Oakland, Calif., bar where the Mai Tai was concocted in the eponymous year.

The cocktails here are also meant to smell good. The Jefferson Library, a beer cocktail served in a tall and slender glass, produces a unique chemical reaction when Innis + Gunn Porter, a dark barrel-aged Scottish ale, reacts with lemon juice, maple syrup and pink angostura, creating ribbons of effervescence as the drink fizzes and cascades down the sides.

The South Beach Sunrise pays homage to the Delano South Beach and looks like the morning sky. Inside, Absolut Elyx Vodka, Campari, honey syrup and fresh lemon, offering a lingering flavor profile with the addition of egg whites.

Other cocktails have their own rare liquors. Take the Delano Daiquiri with its Bacardi 1909 Heritage Rum, a limited-edition spirit that pays tribute to Don Facundo Bacardí Massó, the distiller who founded the Bacardi brand and redefined rum in Cuba more than 150 years ago. Showcasing the original alcohol proof at 89 percent, this smooth rum has a high ratio of Aguardiente Redestillado, the Bacardi brand's proprietary components.

Even the Basil Paloma with fresh lime juice, basil and Jarritos grapefruit soda, features Siete Leguas Blanco Tequilla. Siet Leguas distills its own tequila to this day, using the ancient "de tajona" process of grounding the agave with a stone wheel pulled by mules.

The SNM also incorporates a unique liquor, a Mt. Gay hand-selected Black Barrel Rum, chosen by Delano's mixology team at the Barbadian distillery and available exclusively at Franklin. The custom rum is the highlight of SNM, alongside Marie Brizard White Creme de Cacao, Fresh Lime Juice and Torani Brown Sugar Cinnamon syrup.
· All Coverage of Franklin [~ELV~]
· All Booze News [~ELV~]