For a new cocktail bar that leans heavily on science in developing its drinks, By Weight and Measure couldn’t be in a more ideal location.
The bar is situated in the middle of the Collective food hall in the Coda development, just steps from the Georgia Tech campus with thousands of aspiring scientists.
It took more than two years, but By Weight and Measure finally made its debut on July 5, offering cocktails, slushies, alcohol-free concoctions, beer and wine.
Credit: By Weight and Measure
Credit: By Weight and Measure
The bar is the brainchild of Ian Carlson, who previously served as the general manager of Joystick Gamebar and Georgia Beer Garden in Old Fourth Ward. Johnny Martinez and Brandon Ley, co-owners of those concepts, are also partners with Carlson on By Weight and Measure.
In developing the cocktail list, Carlson said he looked to “techniques and tools that have come into the culinary world in the past 20 years,” including immersion circulators. “There are folks who use them in bar programs, but nobody who’s really putting them on as the star of the show. We wanted to marry the high-tech science side with the farming and produce of Georgia and creating fresh flavors.”
Ingredients are sourced from Athena Farms at the Georgia State Farmers Market in Forest Park, Your DeKalb Farmers Market in Decatur and Buford Highway Farmers Market in Doraville.
One of Carlson’s main sources of inspiration was the podcast Cooking Issues and the book “Liquid Intelligence,” both from New York-based Dave Arnold, a “pioneer of bringing some of these techniques into the cocktail world.”
Credit: By Weight and Measure.
Credit: By Weight and Measure.
Menu highlights include the Peanut Farmer, Carlson’s ode to Jimmy Carter and his south Georgia childhood, that uses peanut butter-infused bourbon and Coca-Cola and the Get Up, Get Out with strawberry-infused gin, lemon mint cordial and soda water. The infusion is made using dehydrated strawberries and gin, blended with an active enzyme and run through a machine to pull the solids out, “so you get this incredible bright red color, and the gin is just completed infused with strawberries.”
Carlson paid as much attention to nonalcoholic offerings, creating drinks like the Columbian Exchange with tamarind, chili cordial, peanut milk and lime.
Credit: By Weight and Measure
Credit: By Weight and Measure
While there will be a few core offerings, about 70% of the drink menu will change seasonally.
The counter-service bar has a few seats for guests, with additional seating available in the food hall’s common area shared with other Coda tenants including El Burro Pollo, Poke Burri, Humble Mumble and Aviva by Kameel. Drinks can also be consumed throughout the entire Coda property.
Weight and Measure’s opening hours are 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays.
756 W. Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta. weightandmeasure.com
Scroll down to see the full menu for By Weight and Measure:
Credit: By Weight and Measure
Credit: By Weight and Measure
Credit: By Weight and Measure
Credit: By Weight and Measure
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