Republic has a new cocktail spot with a playful and friendly vibe — think Great Gatsby without pretense.
Miss Boston’s Cocktail Lounge, 3401 E. Old Stone Road, opened the weekend of December 8 and will serve hand-crafted cocktails six days a week. It’s a dream of Camry Cowan, the owner, who left his job as a high school math teacher to open this establishment.
Cowan was introduced to whiskeys a few years ago when a friend invited him over for a bourbon tasting from his private collection. Cowan loved it and told his wife, Mesha, about it. She bought him a home bar that Christmas.
“I started dabbling and it was fun,” Cowan said. “As time went on, I started to think someone should open a spot in Republic, and I think that someone is me. I decided to leave teaching, which I wasn’t happy doing, and pursue something that could bring me some happiness.”
Menu features signature cocktails, mocktails and house shots
Miss Boston’s serves wine and beer, but the focus is cocktails. The menu boasts eight signature cocktails, mocktails and house shots. For newcomers, Cowan has three recommendations, including the B’s Sting. It’s made with white tequila, chili poblano liqueur, Averna (Italian bitters), lemon and sugar.
“It is refreshing and spicy,” he said.
The Tea Party features Plymouth gin infused with Earl Grey tea, mint, elderflower liqueur, lime juice, grenadine and grapefruit zest.
“It is floral, aromatic, has a lot going on. It’s very pretty and tasty,” Cowan said.
If you’re dreaming of the islands and lean towards sweeter libations, then try the Cocoa Nut, which is concocted with cream de cocoa, coconut cream, almond liqueur, Amaretto, Jamaican rum, lime juice and salt, topped with shaved nutmeg.
“That one is tropical, a little sweet but balanced out with the salt,” he said.
If an Old-Fashioned or a dry martini is calling your name, they can build those, too. While the eight signature cocktails are innovative and playful, they strive the create the classics as well.
A homey environment in a small town
As for the ambiance, Cowan said they are going for a cozy art deco theme. They embraced the ’20s and ’30s gold, silver, dark green and dark blue aesthetic. They left the floors concrete and have pictures of their dog and paintings of their grandmothers, so it’s pretty but warm and welcoming.
“At the end of the day we are still in a small town and want it to feel like a homey environment,” he said.
Filling a niche in their hometown
The Cowans wanted to open the venue in Republic because they felt like it was a niche they needed to fill and Republic is their home.
“We knew how many people here like going into Springfield but don’t like having to go into Springfield,” Camry Cowan said. “Having something closer to home to serve Republic or Battlefield or Billings, all these other small towns. We want to make this a destination.”
The city has been good to them. Camry and Mesha met in eighth-grade science class, shortly after Camry moved there. Mesha is a Republic native. Camry wasn’t born in Republic, but his father was. His parents met at Republic High School in the 1980s. Their family moved around in Camry’s early life, but his dad’s goal was to get back home. The summer before Camry entered eighth grade, they moved back.
Camry and Mesha became good friends and the summer after their sophomore year, he asked her out. They’ve been together ever since. Married six years, he’s 30 and she’s 29. The couple named the business after their dog, Boston.
“We joke that our dog Boston is our kid,” Camry said. “We don’t have human children. We dote on her and treat her as if she is our daughter. Something about having her be the mascot and being the namesake of the bar felt right to us. We wanted to name the bar after something special to us. We want her fun, jovial spirit to emulate throughout the bar.”
A career change and an impactful visit to Golden Girl Rum Club
Camry had been an upper-level math teacher for five years and wasn’t happy. As his passion for cocktails developed, he started talking to Mesha about opening a bar one day. She was completely supportive and encouraged him to pursue his passion.
“I went to Golden Girl Rum Club (in Springfield) once and sat at the bar and watched them make beautiful cocktails with precision,” he said. “I could tell they really valued their work. I walked out that night and told my wife these are the people I want to learn from.”
He got a job bartending at the Golden Girl Rum Club and spent the next two years learning and experimenting.
Ordinance change made cocktail lounge possible
When a new apartment complex and adjoining businesses were being built in Republic, Camry called the landlords to see if there was availability for a bar. At the time it wasn’t even legal in the city to open the concept they were going for. There was an ordinance that you can’t serve liquor unless 50 percent of your sales are food. Their goal was to be a bar with some food, not a restaurant.
So, they worked with the city government, building department and city council, and the ordinance was amended to mimic the state law, which enabled them to get a liquor license. Almost two years to the day they made their first call, they opened.
Mesha, a registered dietitian who is also Community and Corporate Wellbeing Manager for Bass Pro, led the charge in the kitchen. They serve small plates, homemade hummus, house-made salsa and queso, charcuterie boards and popcorn with clarified butter. The cocktails are the focus, but there are items to nosh on.
Taking a big risk
While they are excited to open Miss Boston’s, they are also nervous.
“I took a big risk leaving my life,” Camry said. “I have a master’s degree and I am going to throw it aside and open a bar.”
But they believe the time is right in Republic and they have a lot of community support.
“We have had some amazing generous people offer us all kinds of support, from bar owners to industry workers,” Cowan said. “We thought this was a great spot for a booming, growing community and we wanted to get in there. It is nerve-racking but I am confident in this idea. I really believe in it.”
Find it: Miss Boston’s Cocktail Lounge; 3401 E. Old Stone Road, Brookline; (417) 233-4400. Even though it has a Brookline address, Cowan said it is right on the edge of city limits.
