Pop Rocks, cotton candy, gummy rings, Girl Scout cookies, Little Debbies…these might read like a kid’s dinnertime dream, but at Laura’s Bar & Grill in Smithfield, it’s just some of the ingredients composing the very adult range of martini specials.
“Wednesdays are martini night,” says Jessica Randle, creative genius behind the drinks. Randle has worked with owner Laura Dunlea for the last 18 years; she started at age 13 working at Laura’s Pleasant View Diner, the family restaurant just five minutes away – which sadly, recently closed – and when the Bar & Grill opened three years ago, she was hired as bar manager.
“I create the drinks for all of our cocktail menus and specials, changing it up every season to go with the vibe and keeping some old faithfuls,” Randle explains. When Dunlea came to her wanting $6 martinis, it started with basics – but Randle wanted to kick things up a notch.
“I’ve always been a fat kid at heart and have nothing but sweet teeth!” Randle laughs. “I get inspiration from anything: going out for ice cream, walking down the candy aisle, Pinterest-ing desserts I can make into liquid form, eating my 2am Swiss cake rolls…anything I see that I’m like ‘Wow, that would make a cool martini!’”
Today, Laura’s is known for their martini menu, which takes plain vodka varieties and adds a sweet twist for special surprises each week. Randle’s repertoire includes martinis like the Dunkaroo (vanilla vodka, rumchata, white chocolate liqueur, frosted sprinkle rim, Dunkaroo cookie garnish); Strawberry Pop Rocks (strawberry vodka, triple sec, strawberry puree, lime, Sprite, Pop Rocks rim); and even a Harry Potter-inspired Butterbeer martini. With a growing note in her phone of potential concoctions, Randle reveals that there are plenty of ideas in the works: “Blow Pop, Nerds, churro, and about 100 more!”
Having found popularity in the martinis, Randle is also applying imaginative spins on other drinks, like margaritas and frozen drinks, which run the gamut of Cake Batter and Marshmallow Peep mudslides and Watermelon Frosé.
“Whenever the martini was too basic, I’d push to make it more exciting the next week, and now here I am trying to outdo myself every week – some have been hard to top, though!” Randle reflects.
But with an endless imagination – and endless amount of candy to choose from – we don’t doubt Randle will shake up another sweet special soon.
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