Cleveland.com writers share exclusive look at the Writer’s Room (photos)

A drink that embodies the solitary writer at a manual typewriter in the 1940s. Otherwise known as the "Film Noir."

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Eighteen months after opening, members-only The Writer’s Room is exceeding its goals. Membership has passed the original target and new memberships require a referral.

Owner/mixologist Mitch Didion gave Cleveland.com reporters Paris Wolfe and Alex Darus an exclusive glimpse of what goes on inside.

The Writer’s Room shares a repurposed 1800s Victorian home with Cloak & Dagger in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood. On the super-secret second floor, the space is “bar noir” with dark nooks furnished with comfortable couches and low tables. Cocktails are wildly creative, artisan concoctions.

The Sushi Boi (left), a sushi-inspired martini. La Passion, (right) an unusual daiquiri.

The current menu includes variations on milk punch, daiquiri, old-fashioned and a BLT martini.

Yes, a cocktail can taste just like a summery BLT. It may sound weird, but it’s balanced and delicious. It even arrives with a tiny BLT garnish.

While the cocktail list is broad and varied, it’s just a beginning. Can’t find a drink that fits your mood? Flex your creative muscle and DIY from the handcrafted infusions, syrups, brines and tinctures on the menu. These include things like basil mezcal, mixed nut orgeat, Calabrian olive brine and cinnamon funk tincture.

Owner/mixologist Mitch Didion and Dave Sheets at The Writer's Room bar.

Or put the pressure on Didion. Tell him how you want to feel and he’ll craft something to please.

I took the challenge and asked for something evocative of a dimly lit, early 1900s garret where a writer is clacking away on a vintage Underwood—perhaps Raymond Chandler crafting a detective tale.

Perhaps the atmosphere and name of the joint were getting under my skin.

Server David Sheets asked about food sensitivities and whether I liked bourbon. No and yes.

Didion sent me a gunpowder chai black Manhattan with nocino, amaro, and sweet vermouth under a cloche of hickory smoke and garnished with a cinnamon stick. Pressed to name the creation, he’d call it a “Film Noir.”

He nailed it.

“I’ve been asked to create anything from a cocktail that embodies Teddy Roosevelt or Elton John,” says Didion. “For Teddy, I did a cask strength bourbon and Scotch with a splash of vermouth - smoky, strong and imposing. Other customers have asked for drinks that taste like the feeling they get walking their dog through the park on a hot summer day.”

Testing Didion is just one perk of membership. Those lucky enough to be referred to membership have two options

For $600 per year, members can bring one guest per visit, try different cocktails and emerging spirits. They will be invited to members-only events, classes, tastings, and networking. And they will receive a free birthday cocktail.
For $1,200 per year, members can bring three guests. In addition to the above benefits, they will have access to the VIP room, a storage locker and the ability to purchase bottles.

The space is not open to the general public.