Nearly eighteen years ago, Bolete came onto the Lehigh Valley food scene and has remained a fine-dining mainstay ever since, with guests continually packing the dining room of the restaurant, a converted stagecoach inn dating to 1790. And while the restaurant is well known for its farm-to-table fare, receiving award nominations from the prestigious James Beard Foundation in 2015 and 2019, its bar program deserves attention, too.
This is where Stephen Pekarik comes in. As the beverage director of Bolete and its sister properties, Mister Lee’s Noodles and B-Side Bottle and Larder, he selects wines and crafts cocktails meant to enhance the dining experience, though they can certainly stand on their own. And there
is no cocktail more popular than one that has been on Bolete’s menu since opening day—The Remedy.
Served in a chilled coupe glass with a pulverized ginger rim, The Remedy combines three ounces of bourbon (“I love High West Bourbon,” Pekarik says) with a cayenne-and-fresh-ginger syrup and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Pekarik calls it a slightly spicy riff on a whiskey sour, and notes that the cocktail is “extremely balanced with a slight spice, warming backbone and a wonderfully bright finish.” Though Bolete’s cocktail menu changes about as often as its food menu, depending on what’s seasonally available, The Remedy remains a staple and is available year-round.
“One of the things guests love about The Remedy is its consistency and stunningly balanced nature,” Pekarik says. It’s a good thing, too, since the goal of Bolete owners Lee Chizmar and Erin Shea was to offer a “workhorse” cocktail that would pair well with any dish on a menu that constantly rotates. Pekarik highly recommends enjoying The Remedy with Chef Lee’s Tavern Burger topped with a mushroom marmalade. And for an Asian twist on the cocktail, check out The Elixer at Mister Lee’s Noodles in Bethlehem.
1740 Seidersville Rd., Bethlehem | 610.868.6505 | boleterestaurant.com
Published as “Drink This” in the March 2025 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
