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The ice in your cocktail at Stir starts out weighing in at 300 pounds. Behind the scenes, staff freeze enormous blocks, then cut them into shapes suited to different drinks: long, rectangular pieces for Tom Collins, shaved ice for margaritas and Hemingway daiquiris, and giant cubes for old fashioneds.
Opening October 29 at Medley in Johns Creek, Stir makes its Georgia debut with a cocktail program that gives frozen water nearly as much attention as the spirits. It’s the sixth location for the restaurant, which got its start in Chattanooga’s historic train station. Oysters and seafood are the other major draw, with a rotating raw bar and a menu that stretches from lobster-crab cakes to broiled halibut.
The Johns Creek team expects to work through eight to 12 ice blocks a week, producing them in-house with a Clinebell machine, says beverage director Ron Brown. The shapes aren’t simply decorative: Larger pieces are intended to chill a drink while slowing dilution. Stir also makes its syrups, bitters, and tinctures in-house and squeezes fresh juices for the bar.
For a closer look at the ice, request tableside presentation. A server will bring out a cocktail without ice, along with a hefty aluminum mold on a tray. A piece of ice goes inside; the mold shapes it into a sphere before it’s added to the glass. This isn’t limited to cocktails—even a glass of water can get the ice show, Brown explains.
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Beverages include classics and variations such as the Road Less Traveled, a riff on a New York sour. On tap, look for drinks like the Strawberry Moon Sangria with freshly muddled fruit and rose petal water. Brown says the main cocktail menu will likely change twice a year, supplemented by quarterly specials. Behind the bar, roughly 350 premium and rare spirits give drinkers plenty to explore beyond the cocktail list, alongside draft and canned beers and a 10-12-glass wine selection spanning Old and New World producers.
Oysters anchor the food menu, with a changing selection sourced from the Gulf Coast, East Coast, Pacific Northwest, and Canada. They’re shucked to order, while oysters Rockefeller and oysters Casino offer cooked alternatives. Shrimp, crab claws, and poke bowls round out the cold-bar offerings.
The kitchen carries the seafood focus into dishes such as shrimp scampi, seared tuna salad, and lobster-and-shrimp white cheddar mac and cheese. Lobster-crab cakes join starters like chicken lettuce wraps and whipped feta with spiced pecans. For diners who prefer red meat, there will be steak frites, filet, and a sesame steak bowl. Everything is made from scratch.
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Stir will serve lunch and dinner, plus weekend brunch with chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, and seafood Benedict featuring fried shrimp and crab. Brunch entrees come with access to a complimentary spread of pasta, potato, and cucumber salads, along with muffins, cookies, and brownies. Drinks offerings include $5 Bloody Marys made with the restaurant’s own mix, $5 mimosas, and $18 mimosa carafes served in mason jars.
The 315-seat restaurant takes its design cues from the Chattanooga original, translating that location’s historic setting into exposed beams, large windows, black-and-white artwork, and oversized chandeliers. An open kitchen faces the dining room, while a 34-seat counter combines the cocktail bar and oyster bar along the length of the restaurant.
About 25 feet away, sits Tonic House, Stir’s first standalone satellite bar. The smaller space will serve the same food and drinks in a more intimate setting and double as a private-event venue. Roll-up garage doors open toward Medley’s lawn, extending the bar onto the development’s central gathering space (where alcohol is permitted).
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