Betty Schweitzer, Clementine
story. The bartender and author grew up in Rhode Island and returned to the area after serving as the original chief bartender at the famed Rainbow Room in New York City. He’ s penned two best-selling cocktail books and now has his own spirits brand, including DeGroff Bitter Apertivo and New World Amaro, which are on the shelf and in the drinks at The Café.
DeGroff is part of The Café’ s ongoing Cocktail Hour at The Café series. Every month, usually on the second Tuesday, he’ s there in an ongoing hands-on cocktail series. His classes fill up quickly and include expert instruction on crafting cocktails like Old Fashioneds, Manhattans and espresso martinis, as well as a welcome drink and some light bites.
Great cocktails at The Café were a priority from the get-go, explains Stephen Corrigan, the restaurant’ s director of operations and general manager.
“ Part of a real focus was the bar and the beverage program, cocktails being at the front end of that,” he says.
The program focuses on classic structures, using modern techniques, premium products and creativity.“ We’ re doing things at The Café that guests simply won’ t find at other places,” he says,“ from made-in-house vermouths to crystal clear, artisan-made ice.”
The Dipper’ s Sipper is a love letter to South County, made with soupy-washed bourbon. Soupy— the locally beloved, dry-cured pork sausage— is rendered down and infused into the bourbon, giving it a clarified, lightly spicy and smoky flavor that is balanced with demerara, a brown sugar, and bitters.
Every tender behind the bar can tell the story of how this drink, and all the others on the menu, are created. The Café, 3 Canal St., Westerly, 357-0300, thecaferi. com 🆁
“ We take 8 ounces of steelhead oats per liter of whiskey and then toast the oats. Once the oats are fragrant, we remove them from the heat and add the Jameson whiskey. We then allow that to infuse for about three or four hours. It is ready when the whiskey has taken on a cloudy look and has a nutty / oaty finish on the palate. After this, we brown 4 ounces of butter per liter of oat whiskey, stir it together, and allow it to chill for up to forty-eight hours. For the actual drink, we adhere to the same specs of a traditional Old Fashioned recipe using walnut bitters in place of the classic angostura and an Irish breakfast tea-infused demerara syrup in place of a basic simple.” clementinecocktailbar. com
A framed photograph of Jean-Marc Schweitzer’ s grandmother, Betty Schweitzer, at Clementine’ s bar.
— Jean-Marc Schweitzer, manager of Clementine
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY I APRIL 2026 79