Behind the bar at the Centre County restaurant that’s serving up an experience in every glass
Don’t go to the bar at Pine Grove Hall and ask for a gin and tonic or a highball. That would be like listening to someone pick the banjo; pleasant, but one-dimensional. When you sit at the bar of this elegantly restored former Odd Fellows Hall, dimly lit with flickering votive lights in every nook and cranny, you are about to experience an orchestra in your glass.
Cocktails at this establishment are not like anything you can make at home. The spirits are unusual and often unavailable at the retail level, the mixers are complex, and the bitters and tinctures are esoteric. When you go here for a drink, you go for the experience.
The maestro-magician who rules this 20-foot mahogany bar with an iron fist in a velvet glove is Sc’Eric Horner, a York County native who has lived and served libations in the State College area since 1994 when he graduated from Penn State with a degree in film from the College of Communications. He has never worked in the film industry; his keen eye and discriminating palate turned to the hospitality business.
He worked at Q’s Café in the Encore bookstore on Rolling Ridge Drive when it opened in 1994 and managed the coffee shop there when it morphed into SerendipiTea. His tea and chai blends became legendary in the area, and he curates the tea selection at Café Lemont that includes some of his recipes for blends. He worked at cafes and restaurants in State College before landing in 2006 behind the bar at Fuji Jade Garden at Westerly Parkway, his longest tenure before starting at Pine Grove Hall when it opened during the pandemic in 2020. Many of his loyal bar customers trooped after him.
“The cocktail resurgence in the United States began in earnest in 2009,” says Horner, who studies the topic. His mantra is “Read. Drink. Think. Repeat.” He finds his inspiration for new drinks on various websites like Liquor.com where videos show what other people are making and liking.
Pine Grove Hall’s theme weeks are very popular, with drinks, music, and food from specific cultures. In May a Cuban menu celebrated island culture with a Hemingway Daiquiri Especial adapted from a recipe that originated in Havana in the 1930s. Horner’s take on the recipe included white rum shaken with fresh lime, Luxardo bitter cherry cordial, grapefruit juice, and a splash of grapefruit cordial. Latin food features and salsa music created an immersive experience for the patrons.
Horner considers Chartreuse the gateway liqueur that led him on the path to many of his complex creations. His first taste was memorable. “I loved how it was high proof, sweet, but astringent, herbal, and all those flavors. It was almost like a cocktail in your mouth with one ingredient.”
Chartreuse is one part of The Last Word, a cocktail created in 1915 at the Detroit Athletic Club that includes gin, maraschino liqueur, and lime juice. A scarcity of Chartreuse led Horner to experiment with another herbal liqueur to create his own take on the cocktail. Horner’s Whispering Wood uses Japanese gin, ster Zirbenz stone pine liqueur, Luxardo maraschino, fresh lime sour, cranberry, Sichuan peppercorn and blue oyster mushroom tinctures, porcini mushroom dust, and a preserved pinecone to channel the forest in one sip.
Those not interested in alcoholic beverages can choose a Tait Farm Shrub soda from a variety of flavors or try one of two NA cocktails created by former front-of-the-house manager Karen Caswell-Sapia. Four draft beers on tap change from time to time and there is a selection of bottled or canned beer. Two State College ciders are offered as well as a French cider from Normandy.
Horner encourages anyone who comes to the restaurant to not order what they make at home. Try something new.
“The challenge is being a creative, progressive bartender in semi-rural Pennsylvania,” he explained. “We want folks to come to Pine Grove Hall with an open mind and an empty stomach, without expectations. We want to surprise you and open your eyes to something new. Our chef, Tory Glossner, agrees. Our food is sometimes labeled ‘fusion,’ but he is simply taking local foods grown by area farmers and putting them together in new ways. Our beverage program takes inspiration from that approach with a strong nod toward seasonality.”
Come out for the music, on the stage, and at the bar. The orchestra is tuning up. The maestro is ready to create his magic in your glass.
Pine Grove Hall
Where: 101 E. Pine Grove Rd.Pine Grove Mills, PA 16868
Hours: 5-9:45 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 4-8:45 p.m. Sunday
Info: Reservations are encouraged; for parties over 6, call 814-954-5419
Website: pinegrovehall.com
