Photograph courtesy of Hop City
Hop City was one of the first businesses to open at Krog Street Market in 2014 and, more than 10 years later, is still a flagship within the popular food hall. The company was a bottle shop first, selling craft beer from Atlanta’s burgeoning craft beer scene, along with wine, before opening the bar with its bountiful draft taps and cocktail program. The current drink menu, launched in August, has several drinks created by some of the city’s most popular street artists.
“We were wrestling with finding something that’s just distinctly Atlanta,” says owner Kraig Torres. “We always pick an Atlanta theme for our cocktail menu, so we’ve done neighborhoods, and we’ve done strip joints, and we were like, you know, what’s more Atlanta than our amazing street art scene?”
Hop City’s Beltline location is surrounded by artwork, so it’s no surprise that the artists themselves are among the bar’s patrons. These people and their work inspired the drinks now available on the menu, brainstormed by lead bartender Tali Starr, with each taking on a different spirit and flavor profile.
“We just had to reach out on Instagram and be like, Hey, we’re fans, we’re doing this thing, and they were all super into it,” adds Torres. “They’re really great at art, and, you know, I think we’re pretty good at cocktails. We kind of wanted to stay in our respective lanes as much as we can, but still make everybody feel involved.”
Photograph by Caroline Eubanks
“I’ve been visiting Hop City for years. It’s been my closest and best local craft beer store for years,” says Rory Hawkins, better known by the moniker Catlanta. “I also started working with Kraig in 2018 on their West End location. I did murals for Boxcar and the West End Hop City, as well as the murals at their Trilith location and a few other projects over the years.”
The drink Hawkins inspired is based on the Azalea, the official cocktail of The Masters, with lemon vodka, pineapple juice, and grenadine.
“It’s got a bit of a tropical vibe to it, very bright and sunny, which I think correlates well with the colors I use in my work and the general sense of fun I try to include with my subject matter and pieces,” he says.
Sad Stove has a Mint Julep served up, and Evereman’s drink is based on the Mexican Firing Squad, a 1930s creation made with tequila, lime juice, grenadine, and Angostura bitters. . ClassyStreetz’s drink is a play on the Bees Knees with Murrell’s Row Tulsi gin and sweet black tea syrup. LurkingSince1991’s heart stickers found throughout the city play well with the strawberry cognac-based Sidecar, infused with jam.
Photograph by Caroline Eubanks
Ronnie Land, aka R. Land, the artist behind Pray for ATL, Loss Cat, and many other familiar pieces, is behind the only nonalcoholic drink on the menu. It’s made with three milligrams of THC from Nine Dot, cranberry, lime, and orange juices.
“I’ve just always been so happy that [Hop City is] there,” he says. “It makes sense to me because my studio is literally two blocks up Waddell Street, and it’s been there for 27 years, so long before Krog Street was even there.”
Photograph by Caroline Eubanks
The menu also gave locals a chance to further connect with the artwork they often walk right past, says Torres.
“Sometimes we take it for granted when we’re riding our bikes down the Beltline, but it’s not often that you get to meet the guys behind it who’ve been doing it forever.”
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Myrydd Wells Walljasper
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