Cocktail Bar
Unclaimed profileFranklin Social
Jersey City, NJ · $$
Inebrious
Beverage Program Score
The editorial take
Franklin Social runs a cocktail program inspired by Colonial drinking culture, with eleven named drinks carrying full ingredient lists and flavor descriptors. The beer side is equally deliberate: seven draught options with ABV and tasting notes, six cans including two non-alcoholic Athletic Brewing choices, and rotating seasonal local drafts. Wine covers five categories across thirteen named bottles and pours. The non-alcoholic list is the thinnest, leaning on two 0% ABV cans and one customer-praised mocktail.
- What should I order?
- Start with the Walnut Old Fashioned, built on Old Forester with cinnamon brown sugar, Angostura, orange bitters, and black walnut bitters — the menu calls it warm, nutty, and rich. For something brighter, the Torchlight mixes Espolon Blanco with hot honey, agave, Cholula, and lime. If you want a draught, the Kane Brewing Party Wave IPA is a hazy, juicy 7.4% option.
- Who will enjoy this place?
- Drinkers who want a cocktail list with real ingredient transparency and a beer program that covers draught, cans, and non-alcoholic options will find plenty to work with here. The Colonial-inspired cocktail theme gives the drinks a point of view beyond the standard bar list.
- What should I expect to spend?
- Cocktails run 15 to 16, with the Bhakta the Future in the 'Feeling Fancy?' subsection at 22. Wine by the glass is 12 to 16, bottles 46 to 58. Draught beer is 9 to 10 by pour size, cans 7 to 10, and non-alcoholic Athletic Brewing cans are 7 per 12 oz.
- What makes the beverage program distinctive?
- The cocktail program's stated inspiration from Colonial drinking culture sets it apart, and the beer list pairs seven draught options with six cans, including two non-alcoholic Athletic Brewing choices and a note to ask about rotating seasonal local drafts.
Beverage categories
We only score what a venue sets out to do. Categories a venue doesn't attempt are left unscored rather than penalized.
Cocktails
Eleven named cocktails with detailed ingredient lists and flavor descriptors, plus a 'Feeling Fancy?' subsection for elevated drinks. The program is inspired by Colonial drinking culture, and the range spans sharp and spicy, warm and nutty, floral, smoky, and bittersweet profiles.
Menu strengths
- — Eleven named cocktails each carry full ingredient lists and flavor descriptors, giving the list unusual transparency.
- — A 'Feeling Fancy?' subsection elevates the top end, with Bhakta the Future priced at 22.
- — The Colonial drinking-culture inspiration gives the program a stated point of view rather than a generic mix of styles.
Standout selections
- — Walnut Old Fashioned: Old Forester, cinnamon brown sugar, Angostura, orange bitters, and black walnut bitters — warm, nutty, and rich.
- — Torchlight: Espolon Blanco tequila, hot honey, agave, Cholula, and lime — sharp and spicy.
- — Last Boarding Call: Monkey Shoulder, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, sweet vermouth, and two bitters — bittersweet and refined.
Pricing: 15-16; Bhakta the Future 22
Wine
Thirteen named wines across white, sparkling, rosé, orange, and red categories, with multiple countries represented. Glass and bottle pricing is listed throughout, and the range covers a South African Chenin Blanc, Italian Pinot Grigio, French Sancerre, Cava, and an Austrian orange wine.
Menu strengths
- — Five categories — white, sparkling, rosé, orange, and red — give the list useful range for a cocktail-led venue.
- — Thirteen named wines with glass and bottle pricing make the list easy to navigate by pour or bottle.
- — Multiple countries are represented, from South Africa and Italy to France and Austria.
Standout selections
- — Sancerre Vieilles Vignes, Loire Valley, France 2024 — 16 by the glass, 58 by the bottle.
- — Old Vine Chenin Blanc, Murgh Bro, Paarl, South Africa 2024 — 12 by the glass, 46 by the bottle.
- — Naken Skin, Biokult, Burgenland, Austria 2024 — orange wine, bottle only at 52.
Pricing: Glass 12-16; bottles 46-58
Beer
Seven draught beers and six cans, with ABV and tasting notes throughout. The draught list spans lager, pilsner, IPA, stout, dark lager, and cider, while the can list includes two non-alcoholic Athletic Brewing options. The menu notes rotating seasonal local drafts.
Menu strengths
- — Seven draught options with ABV and tasting notes cover lager, pilsner, IPA, stout, dark lager, and cider.
- — Six cans include two non-alcoholic Athletic Brewing options, giving the beer list a low- and no-alcohol lane.
- — The menu notes rotating seasonal local drafts, adding a changing local element to the fixed list.
Standout selections
- — Kane Brewing Party Wave IPA — draught, hazy yellow, smooth, juicy, and highly drinkable, 7.4% ABV, 10 per 16 oz.
- — Birdsmouth Beer Lager — draught, all malt, clean and crisp, 4.5% ABV, 9 per 16 oz.
- — 902 Brewing Chilltowns Crusher Pilsner — draught, crisp, clean, flavorful, 5.3% ABV, 9 per 16 oz.
Pricing: Draught 9-10; cans 7-10
Nonalcoholic
Two non-alcoholic Athletic Brewing cans — Athletica and Run Wild IPA, both 0% ABV at 7 per 12 oz — anchor the list. A recent customer account describes a mocktail called Let the Sun In as delicious and compares its flavor to a piña colada.
Menu strengths
- — Two named 0% ABV Athletic Brewing cans give the list a clear baseline for non-alcoholic beer.
- — Athletica is a Mexican-style copper and Run Wild IPA offers approachable bitterness with a malty body.
- — A customer account describes Let the Sun In as delicious with a flavor compared to a piña colada.
Standout selections
- — Athletic Brewing Athletica — can, Mexican style copper, non alcoholic, 0% ABV, 7 per 12 oz.
- — Athletic Brewing Run Wild IPA — can, approachable bitterness with a malty body, non alcoholic, 0% ABV, 7 per 12 oz.
- — Let the Sun In — a mocktail a customer describes as delicious with a piña colada-like flavor.
Pricing: 7 per 12 oz
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