Caletta Celebrates Philly’s Beverage Scene With New Pop-Up Series

Inside Fishtown’s Anna & Bel Hotel, Caletta has been mixing Mediterranean-inspired drinks in its intimate space since opening last year. But now, the cocktail lounge is switching up its menu with a new summer pop-up series that brings in Philly’s best bartenders to show off their mixing skills.

“Drinks We Love” is the latest concoction from Benjamin Kirk, beverage director at Caletta. Kirk’s inspirations for the series were the businesses and people he looked up to in the local beverage industry when he first moved here three years ago. “I just really wanted to showcase some of the top people that I think are wonderful humans to begin with, and just have great products, and extend it out to the community,” he said.

The series, taking place once a month through September, features a guest bartender who serves up special, one-night only drinks typically not on Caletta’s menu.

“We try to have fun with it and do something a little off-brand to bring in some new clientele … and not take ourselves too seriously,” Kirk said.

So what is on-brand for Caletta? The bar typically serves items with a Mediterranean flavor profile, but it doesn’t shy away from exploring other corners of the world to introduce different flavors and techniques.

Kirk described the typical Caletta drink as having a “light, easy breezy” vibe – a well balanced cocktail. But it incorporates “weird flavor profiles,” too. Vegetables help give the cocktails extra savoriness, stepping away from the traditional cocktail that has either liqueur, bitters, or fruit juice.

Kirk didn’t want to give away too many spoilers on what to expect from the guest menus, but he gave a quick glimpse into what the first two events brought to the table.

April’s event with Dre Ulush and April Haruko from Poison Heart eased the audience in with a menu that Kirk said wasn’t too different from Caletta’s. The night brought back old favorites from both Poison Heart’s and Caletta’s original menus, while introducing new mixes.

“It was a full, cohesive menu,” Kirk said. “There were some savory effects to it and there were later, I would say, tiki vibes to it – which, personally, that’s my favorite style of cocktail.”

Meanwhile, May featured “silly and fun” drinks from Oyster House’s Resa Muller, like the Incredible Hulk tiki.

Given that the event is called “Drinks We Love,” what exactly are the drinks that Philly’s loving right now?

Kirk has observed more customers ordering drinks with lower APV, which he said has been great. “In my drinks, I love to add more fortified wine like sherry, vermouth, Marsala, Madeira to elongate the drink and create more of a lower APV profile,” Kirk said.

He also noticed that while it seems that the espresso martini hype is finally dying down, people are gravitating toward the more traditional version of the drink. “I feel like martinis are having a moment right now, and just more savory ingredients and more cross-pollination between kitchen and beverage,” he said.

Kirk’s voice lit up as he named some of his favorite drinks from restaurants and bars around the city: “I love going to Middle Child and having the margarita that's always on the menu. I need the martinis at Oyster House. I love any of the tiki drinks they put up at Poison Heart. Franklin Mortgage, they have this really awesome, old fashioned coffee and amaro that I love.”

Here are the remaining takeovers:

If all goes well, Kirk has expressed interest in continuing the series in the fall and hopes it encourages neighbors to see Caletta as a community space. If you miss a pop-up, Caletta is open Wednesday through Sunday. Check out its regular menu and swing by from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, for aperitivo hours. Each drink is accompanied by a rotating complimentary snack.