Oklahoma City’s cocktail scene has undergone a serious renaissance of late. It wasn’t all that long ago that beer couldn’t be sold with an alcohol content exceeding 3.2%, and at Guthrie’s WanderFolk Spirits, the state’s first distillery, cocktails are still DIY in order to adhere to dusty liquor laws. But in spite of delays and hurdles, innovation and creativity still burst through. In recent years, we’ve seen the debut of Lunar Lounge, The Library of Distilled Spirits, Flamingo TIKI, Pool Bar and RadBar, all of which have helped propel the city’s bar scene forward. The latest — and most illustrious — example is Good For A Few, a quasi-speakeasy adjoining a beloved burger joint at 1705 NW 16th St. in the Plaza District.
The owners of New State Burgers & Spirits always felt that the “spirits” portion of their brand was overlooked, and when the space next door became available, it presented an opportunity to expand that spotlight, while filling an untapped niche in the market. Nestled discreetly behind a curtain and a wall of books, Good For A Few is the kind of dark, alluring parlor you’d expect to stumble across in New York City or Chicago; the kind of place where the moody, artsy environs align with the mastery of the cocktails and the whimsy of the menu.
Describing travel as a key inspiration point for the bar — including custom jackets for bar staff and a pair of vintage Air Jordans that the owners saw in New York dangling behind the bar — co-owner Tyler Maune says the ultimate goal was to create a space “where grown-ups can go and have a drink,” describing the bar as quiet, intimate and conversational. “It’s a void in the market that we wanted to bring.”
The menu, too, is one you’ll want to cozy up to, filled with both classic drinks and contemporary novelties, along with playful elements like mini-Champagne glasses and boozy ice cream. The curated drink list highlights excellent renditions of staples like French 75s and daiquiris, but the inspired originals make Good For A Few really shine. The Favorite Son blends gin, cassis and Aperol for a Negroni riff with a dark berry undertone, and Grow a Pear is a best-seller with mezcal, tequila, fresh pear juice and hibiscus. Exhibiting even more dexterity, Let’s Make It Clear is a clarified piña colada with all the rich, tropical taste in a completely translucent elixir, and Charlie Horse borrows inspiration from carajillos, Spanish coffee cocktails that rival even the finest espresso martini, with Licor 43, espresso, local coffee, banana liqueur and a silken tres leches cold foam poured on top.
The bar offers a few snacks, like sliders and donut holes, but you’ll want to save your sweet tooth for last call at 11:30 p.m. That’s the only time Good For A Few offers its piccino, a $5 digestif inspired by affogato-style espresso-soaked ice cream. Made with coffee brandy and vanilla ice cream, the pint-sized tipple arrives in a shot glass for a sweet finale.
