Bardenay, Boise

Bardenay has nothing to do with anything Basque, but nobody seems to mind that it has made itself right at home on the Basque Block. Nor does it have to do with anything nautical, despite the fact that “bardenay” is a term used by sailors for "cocktail.”  Bardenay was the first combination restaurant and distillery in the country. If you’ve got restaurants that brew their own beer, why not one that distills its own vodka, rum and gin? Oddly, given Idaho’s reputation for fine potatoes and grain, Bardenay’s spirits are all distilled from Hawaiian brown sugar cane. Very few gins and vodkas are made from sugar; this wasn’t done without serious thought, though. All the spirits are made right here. Have you ever smelled fermenting potatoes? “Yuck” doesn’t begin to describe it. The food here is beyond bar food—the rum pepper steak is out of this world. Like most bars in Boise, the crowd here is mixed. You’ll have a few drunken college kids looking to branch out from beer, young professionals looking for potential dates, and cocktail connoisseurs appreciating the time and effort the distillers here have so obviously put into their spirits for them to enjoy at one of the best Boise bars.

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