With its dim lighting and Goth-inspired décor, the dark, broody interior of local pub Black & Blue looks like the waiting room for the underworld and that’s precisely the vibe owners Kelly-Jo Ditze and Larry Porter were seeking. One glance around the place and you half expect to see smoking cauldrons or patrons downing mugs of mysterious bubbling concoctions but surprisingly, you’re more likely to find pub-goers requesting the popular Basil Gimlet—a refreshingly light jumble of Bluecoat gin, simple syrup and fresh-squeezed lime infused with vibrant flecks of minced basil.
Though the bar menu touts a number of rotating craft beers and microbrews, the spirits list is where cocktails are knighted with kooky names and the bartender’s creativity shines. The sweet and savory gimlet is a nod to the pub’s commitment to using both local and fresh ingredients; the gin is distilled and bottled right here in the Keystone State and the basil is purchased from a local producer. It’s that tight-knit sense of community that makes Black & Blue so much more than a neighborhood watering hole.
“We’re pretty much all tatted up and pierced and hardly any of us have hair color that occurs in nature,” server/bartender Lauren Pelliccia says of B&B’s staff, “so we’re a pretty unusual bunch to look at, but we’re [customers and staff] like family.”
683 Walnut St., Easton | 610.438.3604 | blackandblueeaston.com
