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ALBANY - Motor Oil Coffee is offering a different kind of brew at its Slip 12 location in Albany.
The coffee company recently launched its bar program, called Fuel & Spirits: The Slip 12 Bar by Motor Oil Coffee, offering a mix of beer, wine and cider.
Coffee remains the focus for the mornings and early afternoons. Then, from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, the bar program kicks in.
The location, which was one of the first that Motor Oil announced, opened a few months ago inside the Warehouse District apartment building called Slip 12.
Photo provided. Fuel & Spirits' Erizo Azul, a blue margarita.
“It always was a plan for it to include a full bar,” said Jermaine Carter, the company’s president.
“We're still working on our full offering menu [and] developing our signature cocktails. We have a few. We're working on a few more still,” Carter said.
They plan to offer small plates, including mini charcuterie boards as well as baked goods. The menu will also lean into locally-made beers and spirits including Chatham Brewing, Nine Pin Cider, Bull and Bee, Albany Distilling Company, New Scotland Spirits and others.
“Our espresso martini is going to be the best one in the area. Being a coffee shop, we have access to fresh espresso and [everything’s] better when it's fresh,” Carter said.
The cocktails are also inspired by the Motor Oil name.
“Since we are Motor Oil, we try to keep everything car-themed as much as we can. We have an espresso martini with caramel. We call it the Dirt Track. It's got cinnamon on top but it makes it look like it’s peeling out,” Carter said.
Photo provided. The Hoboken, Fuel & Spirits' take on a Manhattan.
There's also the Antifreeze, a gin-based lavender and amaretto concoction, the HMS Cruiser, a Hercules Mulligan-based cocktail with ginger beer, and the Erizo Azul, a blue margarita.
The bar program is still in its soft launch phase but a grand opening is in the works for later this month.
“Every week, we get more and more people. We're starting to advertise a little bit more as well. We're starting to offer things like trivia. We're trying to find a DJ, we want to do karaoke as well,” Carter said.
A happy hour, featuring half-off beer, wine, and cider, runs from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. For more information, visit motoroilcoffee.com.