Drink in Style: YNK Speakeasy Bar Night at Irvine Marriott

From edible glitter to custom cocktails, here’s everything you need for your next intimate getaway

On my most recent family trip, I had the pleasure of visiting Irvine, California. I was hosted by the Irvine Marriott. While there, I was invited to the hotel’s YNK (You Never Know) bar. During my brief but memorable visit, I sampled a variety of delicious quick bites and tried some of the unique beverages currently available to guests.

As someone who always loves savory snacks and drinks, I really loved the look of this and the fact that there was edible glitter in the drink (!).

I spoke with Sean Milan, Food and Beverage Manager at the Irvine Marriott, about the team’s process and what planners who want to host a private party at YNK can expect.

Aimin Piance When I was working at YNK, someone said it took four months to develop a menu. What’s going on?

Sean Milan It’s been a roller coaster ride for sure. A lot of things are changing and we do a lot of research to make sure we deliver a finished product that we’re happy with.

always Assumptions and cCan we make it better? It’s like a perpetual learning process.

We were always trying to figure out if we could outdo ourselves or outdo each other. Whose cocktails were better?

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We draw inspiration from a lot of different things. It could be friends, co-workers, family, or just photos you see on Instagram. I want to do it, but I want to do it my wayWhat I like may not be liked by others. (We) work together to turn inspiration into finished product.

EP What is your usual process?

Bobcat At YNK, we constantly change our menus every quarter. We also have several seasonal menus. Once we start developing a new menu, we start with the destination. Currently it’s Latin America, and we consider every country or continent in Latin America and then we drill down, What is their signature cocktail? We also think about the ingredients we want to use.

We recently discovered what Café de Olla is: a pot-style coffee made with brewed black coffee and cinnamon sticks. Then we took it and made it our own way. We tried to make it more artisanal.

One month’s work How we do this coffee pot Is it good for cocktails? Do we cook sous vide? What is the temperature for sous vide? How long do you sous vide cinnamon sticks in coffee? What kind of coffee do you use for a French press? These little details make a product great.

EP Well, you do think about your customer’s experience.

Bobcat Exactly. If someone is going to pay $18 for a cocktail, we want to make sure they are getting their money’s worth. A lot of other places will use cheap coffee to cut costs and try to make something luxurious and fancy and appealing, but we focus primarily on what we use. In a sense, that’s how we provide value.

EP What else do you use for research and inspiration?

Bobcat I believe that if you have a solid foundational knowledge of cocktails, you can always expand upon it.

EP Can you create custom menus for groups and guests?

Bobcat We can do that. We like to focus on the guest first. Our menu is small, but whenever we have a meeting or a business visit and they want to have a social event at YNK but they want a specific type of drink they want, like Tito’s Vodka, we talk to the team leader and find out what they want.

EP Do you have any grand plans for the future of YNK?

Bobcat Our plan is to be the best cocktail bar in Irvine or Orange County.

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There are so many great bars out there. How do we keep up? How do we elevate ourselves? It’s a perpetual learning process for us. I think we just want to sell a valuable product that people want to come and have a look and a drink. We want people to have a good time here.

What keeps us going is the guests. We want to give them something they haven’t seen before, something they find valuable but with a YNK personality.

EP How are you different from other speakeasies and bars?

Bobcat I think we try to challenge the status quo. We just want to stick to our philosophy, which is YNK, you never know. You never know what’s going to happen when you come to YNK.

We want to provide a more premium experience. We want to provide a more intimate experience. In a way, that’s what makes us unique, because it’s hard to imitate us. We’re trying to maintain our uniqueness.