Serafina Wooten, bar manager at The Wilbur.
We sat down with The Wilbur’s bar manager, Serafina, and had a cocktail or two as she explained the speakeasy-styled bar & its handcrafted appeal. With detail-oriented bartending, The Wilbur showcases the unique history of the speakeasy and Prohibition-style cocktails with a distinctly Ocean Springs touch.
While The Wilbur’s name pays homage to Wilbur C. Wisnasky, the businessman who first established the property as The Wilbur Motel in 1952, the speakeasy-style of the bar is taken from a much deeper and darker part of Ocean Springs’ past. During the Prohibition Era, (1920-1933), the infamous gangster Al Capone took up a residence in Ocean Springs to oversee his illegal liquor runs through the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His property overlooking the bayou on Government St. was known as “Del Castle,” and, although the original house has been demolished, there is a new state-of-the-art home on the same property now. The Wilbur’s secret bookcase door to its speakeasy room and the floor to ceiling mural of Al Capone by local artist Vandal Niko recognize this legendary part of American history and the creative means people used to continue to consume high-quality cocktails.
The Bee’s Knees. Made with Coastal Honey Co. honey
One popular cocktail at The Wilbur derived from Prohibition era bartending is the “Bee’s Knees.” Traditionally made with gin, lemon juice, and honey syrup, Serafina has added an egg white, lavender syrup, and a spray of Angostura bitters to add some fun and delicious details to the drink. The lavender & honey syrup is made with raw, organic honey from Coastal Honey Co., a local beekeeper.
The Garden Variety. Made with a red bell pepper-strawberry shrub and double-strained.
Part of what makes The Wilbur’s signature cocktails so unique are their homemade “shrubs.” A shrub is a classic cocktail underpinning made from vinegar-based syrup infused with fruit juice, herbs, or spices. Shrubs were originally developed in the 1600s by smugglers looking to disguise the sea water in barrels of whiskey they had sunk to the bottom of the sea to get past taxes.
The Wilbur uses a variety of seasonal shrubs with vegetable and fruit bases such as a red bell pepper-strawberry shrub, and an orange-rosemary shrub.
The Wilbur showcases local woodworking by Guice Woodworks & the original building’s flooring from 1894. Picture by Christy Ryan Photography
Another wonderfully homespun touch at The Wilbur are the homemade brandied cherries by Serafina. The traditional Luxardo cherries have been replaced with these handcrafted ones. Serafina steeps the tart, dry cherries in a brown sugar & brandy mixture for about two weeks, and then uses them to garnish such cocktails as the new menu’s “Home On the Range”—a bourbon forward drink that a touch of sweetness & tartness is added to by the cherries.
Yet another local addition to The Wilbur is its use of local woodworker, Wade Guice of Guice Woodworks, who handcrafted the bar and tables out of locally sourced black oak. Plus, the incorporation of various Walter Anderson prints brings in even more of the artistic history and culture of our local community here in Ocean Springs.
Take a look at some of the newest additions to the menu at The Wilbur below, choose your favorite, and we invite you to try one out the next time you are staying with us or are in the area. The cozy and welcoming atmosphere of the bar’s design, along with its friendly and passionate owner and staff are an amazing addition to The Roost and to our community as a whole.
