Port of Call, Mystic’s newest bar, takes culinary inspiration from global port cities

“We make no bones about it,” Meiser said. “We are trying to put this place on the map as one of the premier cocktail bars in the country. We’re really trying to do that. It’s a bold endeavor, but we know what’s out there.”

Port of Call is led by beverage director Jade Ayala, who also heads up the bar program at Oyster Club; Renee Touponce, Oyster Club’s executive chef, who’s crafted a worldly assortment of cocktail-driven food pairings, and general manager Nancy Hankins. Meiser also hired head bartender Sebastian Guerrero, who’s worked in acclaimed New York City bars Dante and Mother of Pearl. 

Upstairs, the stately “saloon” space, designed by Jennifer Pryor, features mahogany walls adorned with portholes, leather-backed chairs and teak floors made from the original deck boards from the Joseph Conrad ship. The star of the room, though, is the gleaming U-shaped bar, constructed with wood reclaimed from the Charles W. Morgan. The last wooden whaleship in the world traveled a million miles over 180 years, so it’s known as the “Million Mile Bar,” Meiser said. 

One level down, the atmosphere transforms from opulent to casual. The “Dive Bar” on the basement level takes on two connotations: a laid-back lounge, with a tribute to the region’s deep sea diving history. A full-color mural of a deep sea diver overlooks tabletop arcade games, and framed historical photos of divers hang above a shuffleboard game. 

Port of Call’s drinks draw inspiration from port cities in the United States, the Carribean, South America, Europe and southeast Asia. Ayala’s opening menu features takes on a Cuba Libre, made with Real McCoy aged rum, housemade cola syrup and ancho and guajillo chiles, and tropical presentations with pineapple Campari, passion fruit and reduced coconut milk. A savory Manhattan with rye gets umami flavor from mushrooms, brined in shio koji and blended with Zucca amaro to make a vermouth, Ayala explained.

Touponce’s street food menu spans several continents: bacalaitos (salted fluke fritters with cilantro foam), pork pinchos and squid ink empanadas inspired by Puerto Rico; a Singapore-style grilled mushroom salad, papas rellenas from Peru and Spanish-style boquerones, which she makes by curing local smelts with vinegar and herbs. Yeosu, South Korea gets a nod with a warm hotteok pancake, made with cinnamon, sugar and walnuts. 

Ayala and Touponce worked together to pair the small plates and cocktails, with two food suggestions per drink. A “gingery and approachable” Curry Barbados cocktail, with aged rum, ginger, curry, lime, bitter chocolate and fennel bitters, is partnered with papas rellenas and Merguez sausage with tzatziki, for example.

The Dive Bar will have its own specialty dishes, too, Touponce said: an egg sandwich with pork roll and fermented ketchup, a New Orleans-inspired fried chicken and a hot dog with housemade kimchi, bonito aioli, shallot and kelp crunches on a house-baked, double-fermented bao bun.

The collaboration with Real McCoy rum offers innovative experiences for guests: The Lab at Real McCoy Spirits, owner Bailey Pryor’s boutique rum and single malt whiskey distillery in Stonington, will be a space for custom spirits, blends, tinctures, and cocktails on tap. 

“The bar staff here can develop concepts around different types of spirits we’ll be making,” Pryor said. “Rather than selling a product to be a catch-all for all cocktails, now we can specifically develop certain types of spirit for certain types of cocktails.”

Real McCoy is also working with Port of Call to introduce a private barrel program, where guests can choose their own small custom barrel of aged spirit to be stored on the wall of the Dive Bar. They’ll be able to taste and consume the spirit whenever they visit.

Meiser said his team jokes that they have “the block on lock,” with the two restaurants spanning a portion of Water Street. He pictures guests visiting all four parts of the Oyster Club and Port of Call this summer.

“We kind of envision a lazy Saturday afternoon,” he said. “Start at the Treehouse [Oyster Club’s seasonal rooftop deck], you make your way over to have cocktails and small plates at Port of Call, you go over to Oyster Club for your dinner reservation, and then after dinner, you come down [to the Dive Bar], play shuffleboard, and close the bar.”

Port of Call is at 15 Water Street in Mystic. It’s open at 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday to start. Follow social media updates at @theportofcallct.