Cocktail Bar
Unclaimed profileOrdinary
New Haven, CT · $$
Inebrious
Beverage Program Score
The editorial take
The spirits list is the argument here: bourbon, rye, Irish, Scotch, Japanese whisky, gin, tequila, mezcal, rum, brandy, and herbal liqueurs, with pours priced for 1.5 oz neat or rocks. Several barrels were picked for the bar in collaboration with Owl Shop and Gioia, and some are sold by the bottle to take home. Cocktails get their own section, and the bartenders will build a drink around what you say you want.
- What should I order?
- Start with a private barrel pick: Pinhook Bourbon at 121 proof, a cask-strength 2025 release selected for Ordinary, Owl Shop and Gioia, or Wild Turkey Single Barrel Rye, distilled in 2018 and bottled in 2025. Both are 15 per pour, and both are available by the bottle to take home.
- Who will enjoy this place?
- Drinkers who care about who picked the barrel and how it was bottled, and who want a 1.5 oz pour served neat or on rocks rather than a long mixed drink. The cocktail side suits anyone who would rather describe a preference and let the bartender build around it.
- When should I go?
- Beyond that, the spirits list works whenever a measured 1.5 oz pour is the point.
- What should I expect to spend?
- Individual spirit pours run from 8 to 45, with the private barrel picks at 15 to 18 per pour and 79 to 105 per bottle to take home. The spirits guide notes that prices vary for cocktails made using spirits.
- What makes the beverage program distinctive?
- Multiple barrels were selected specifically for Ordinary in collaboration with Owl Shop, Gioia, and The Wine Thief, and several of those picks can be bought by the pour or by the bottle to take home. The list is organized across eleven spirit headings, and doubles are not preferred, keeping pours at a stated 1.5 oz.
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
A dedicated cocktails section sits alongside wine, beer, soft drinks, and spirits. Bartenders build custom drinks around stated preferences or prompts, and recent accounts describe winter-themed drinks, creative holiday shots, and a daily special. The Negroni and the Vinylry are the named cocktails on record.
Menu strengths
- — Bartenders create custom drinks based on the drinker's stated preferences or prompts, so the section is not limited to a fixed roster.
- — A daily special and winter-themed drinks give the cocktail list a rotating seasonal element.
Standout selections
- — Negroni; Vinylry; A COCKTAILS section alongside wine, beer, soft drinks, and spirits.
Pricing: Prices vary for cocktails made using spirits.
Spirits
An eleven-heading list covering bourbon, rye, Irish, Scotch, Japanese whisky, gin, tequila, mezcal, rum, brandy, and herbal liqueurs, priced for 1.5 oz pours neat or rocks, with doubles not preferred. Multiple barrels were picked for the bar with Owl Shop, Gioia, and The Wine Thief, and some are sold by the bottle to take home.
Menu strengths
- — Eleven spirit headings give the list real range, from bourbon and rye through mezcal, Japanese whisky, and herbal liqueurs.
- — Private barrel picks made for Ordinary with Owl Shop and Gioia are available by the pour, and several by the bottle to take home.
Standout selections
- — Pinhook Bourbon, 121 proof, a cask-strength 2025 release for Ordinary, Owl Shop and Gioia; 15 per pour, 90 per bottle.
- — Wild Turkey Single Barrel Rye, 101 proof, distilled 2018 and bottled 2025; 15 per pour, 84 per bottle.
- — Backbone Stout Finished Rye, 121.6 proof, a 7-year rye aged in Imperial Stout barrels; 16 per pour, 79 per bottle.
- — Wolves x Willett 10yr Rye, a 103-proof Willett Family Estate and Wolves Whiskey collaboration, Batch 2; 43 per pour.
Pricing: Pours priced for 1.5 oz, neat or rocks, from 8 to 45; private barrel picks 15 to 18 per pour and 79 to 105 per bottle.
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