Mixology Report: Time to get your Drinky on

Gary Burleson and Skate Pierce knew their little cocktail bar, situated in a newly constructed building on Fifth Street in Clarkston, was off to a good start when they flicked on the neon sign in the window to test it and people immediately showed up at the door.

That was last month, just before The Drinky Box officially opened, and traffic has been steady since. If curiosity brings people to the establishment, the array of carefully crafted cocktails likely will keep them there — and bring them back.

Pierce, who owns Hogan’s Pub in Clarkston with his wife, Meghan, described the menu as West Coast, featuring fresh ingredients and bright flavors and colors.

He and Burleson worked on the concept for the bar over the past couple of years as they sought a location. Though both described themselves as busy with families and full-time jobs outside The Drinky Box, their energy for the new endeavor felt boundless during a recent visit.

Burleson, originally from Asheville, N.C., brings 18 years of bartending experience to the enterprise, and both he and Pierce are fastidious about creating drinks that are memorable — and, crucially, consistent.

The staff of about a dozen follows a system ensuring just that.

“The way the back bar is set up is very intentional,” Burleson said. “It’s very organic but also highly organized as far as technique goes. Flavors are all profiled to fit each other.”


“And very precise,” Pierce added (the two often finish each other’s sentences).

The resulting drinks, sporting lighthearted names like Unicorn Hunter and Karen with a “C,” would satisfy a connoisseur, but there’s nothing stodgy about them.

The atmosphere, like the drink names, skews fun, not formal. Servers were hired based not necessarily on experience, but on “a sunny disposition,” and taught how to work the room.

The bar, which seats about 50 (an outside space accommodates another 40-plus), includes the handiwork of a variety of artists and artisans, including a jungle mural by Lewis-Clark State College graduate Autumn Cole; bar, tables and booths built by Clarkston resident Cody Ashby; and the signature neon sign, designed by Burleson’s niece (she goes by Kiwi Byrd), who recently graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia.


And then there’s Voltron, the giant robot from the 1980s television series, towering over the room.

Burleson’s friend Gus Cutty, a professional mural artist, traveled from Asheville to paint the oversized character, freehand with spray paint cans, over a three-day period.

There are no TVs, by design: The Drinky Box is meant to be a “talking bar,” Burleson and Pierce said.

That’s where Voltron comes in, as the ultimate conversation piece.

“The longer you look at it, the more details you see to pick apart, and then the big question: Why?” Burleson said.

“And the answer to that: Why not?” Pierce said.

Stone (she/her) can be contacted at mstone@inland360.com.

What’s on the menu?

Cocktails at The Drinky Box are arranged by liquor, with vodka, gin, tequila, whiskey and rum categories, including classics like the Barrel Aged Old Fashioned ($12) and original creations like the Mexican Spy Balloon ($11). The food consists of cleverly named hot dogs and bratwurst with often unexpected fixins’, including the Mortal Kom-Brat (classic brat with mustard, onions and sauerkraut, $9) and the Sagat, Tiger Uppercut, topped with pad thai.

Best-selling:

Mexican Spy Balloon: tequila, mezcal, ancho reyes pepper liquor, agave, lime juice.

Editor’s favorite:

Honey Dew This: 2 ounces honey dew/cantaloupe-infused gin, ½ ounce allspice dram, ¾ ounce lime juice and ½ ounce honey syrup. What about mocktails, you ask, for the designated driver and those who don’t drink?

Photographer’s favorite:

Piña colada: Made with a proprietary piña colada mix made in house and what Burleson described as “a fantastic rum blend,” with a little bit of lime over crushed ice (crushed in a Lewis bag instead of a blender so it’s not “soupy”).

“Since our fresh fruits and botanicals change super frequently, we like to make mocktails with whatever is ripe and delicious at the time,” Burleson said. “We plan to do a whole mocktail section in the future.

“We are also always working on experimenting with flavor combinations and different types of innovative syrups and ingredients. Mocktails are a great way to test some of that stuff out. If it’s good without booze … wait till we put some booze in it.”

The Drinky Box

Location: 416 Fifth St., Clarkston. Parking is in the back.

Hours: 4-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 4-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Hours will increase as offerings expand.

Menu: Cocktails, wine, beer, juice, soda — and hot dogs.