Wander off the beaten path and join the Boozy Blondes as they interview John Moore, the owner of Forgotten Tonic in St. Augustine, Florida.
The DOE is a Chai Espresso Martini featured on Half Baked Harvest (vodka, kaluha, espresso, coconut milk, chai-honey syrup). The girls chose this drink in honor of all the tasty craft cocktails the team at Forgotten Tonic serves up.
Forgotten Tonic is a great locals bar and hidden gem for tourists on historic Aviles (pronounced Av-ah-lees) Street. John was in the process of rebranding this location when the pandemic hit, so when restrictions were lifted in June 2020, Forgotten Tonic celebrated its re-opening and has been a favorite for the blondes.
Chrissy meets John for donuts (and Boozy coffee) to learn more about John and his bar. Surprisingly, he wasn’t always in the food industry. He went to college for Electrical Engineering and when he started working after graduation, he soon realized he did not have a passion for it.
He went to work at PF Chang’s and loved it! He started as a busboy, moved to bartender, then national trainer and he opened new locations, and then went into management. After PF Chang’s John went to work with a former coworker who opened his own bbq restaurant in Jacksonville. Here he learned all about whisky and helped open more restaurants around Jacksonville. Soon after, he decided he wanted to open his own bar and restaurant and found the location on Aviles Street.
Before Forgotten Tonic was the trendy bar and restaurant featuring “modern twists on comfort food, an extensive wine list and craft cocktails,” it was a bicycle shop, sailboat sail material shop, art gallery, a few other restaurants and one of the first public schools in the country!
John talks about the reality of owning a bar. What the guests see is 1% of reality. In the interview, hear some of the other 99% of what happens and things John wished he knew before opening.
Forgotten Tonic was chosen as a Miracle Christmas-themed pop up bar again (2020 first year). This is a huge honor as only about 100 bars around the world are chosen (105-110 in 2020). Forgotten Tonic was referred by Annie of Death or Glory in Delray Beach. The Miracle bar is like National Lampoons house threw up inside Forgotten Tonic – so many fun decorations, themed drinks and glassware. All Miracle Pop Up bars donate a percentage of retail purchases to a specific charity, this year the James Beard Foundation, Open For Good Campaign. Forgotten Tonic donates 10% of Miracle retail sales to this cause.
The Wolfpack went before Christmas and got two SanTaRex drinks (blanco tequila, mezcal, melon liqueur, almond orgeat, lime, tiki bitters), Yippee Ki Yay Motherf****r (Barbados rum, rhum agricole, overproof rum, ube & coconut orgeat, acid-adjusted pineapple juice) and Elfin’ Around (prosecco, gin, mulled wine reduction, grapefruit shrub, aromatic bitters, orange bitters). Plus Nice shots. 🎅
You still have time to check it out this year! The Miracle bar is open November 20, 2021 – January 31, 2022. Please share your pictures with us if you go! Keep up with Forgotten Tonic through its Facebook and Instagram accounts. Reservations are accepted and recommended by booking through its website or calling directly.
Boozy Blondes 