Inside Sofia's Cocktail Program: Craft Mixology at a Fine Dining Steakhouse

Every good bar has a bartender who can read you in about ten seconds and put the right drink in front of you. Most cocktail menus can't do that — they hand you a page of unfamiliar ingredients and leave you guessing. So here's the next best thing: the questions people actually ask at the bar of a fine dining Italian steakhouse, answered the way a good bartender would answer them, using the real drinks on Sofia's list in Englewood.

Pull up a stool.  

"I just sat down. What should I start with?"

Something that opens the appetite instead of dulling it. Before dinner, you want a drink on the brighter, more bittersweet side — which is exactly what the Italian aperitivo tradition is built around.

Start with a spritz. Sofia pours the Aperol Spritz, the lighter and more floral Hugo Spritz, and the sharper, Champagne-driven French 75. All three are bubbly, refreshing, and low enough in proof that they wake up your palate rather than knocking it out before the food arrives.

If spritzes are a whole ritual to you, Sofia leans into that too — there's a dedicated Thursday aperitivo hour at the bar and sidewalk, which our aperitivo guide walks through.

"What's the bar actually known for?"

The signature cocktails. This is where a craft program shows its personality, and Sofia's list runs long and a little playful — pop-culture names hiding some genuinely serious builds.

A few that show the range:

• Jungle Bird — Mount Gay black barrel rum, Campari, pineapple, lime. A modern classic, tropical but bitter, more grown-up than it sounds.
• Up in Smoke — Johnnie Walker Black and Ardbeg 5 scotch, guava, vanilla, lime. Smoky and fruit-forward at once, for someone who likes a little peat.
• Geisha's Lullaby — Suntory Toki whisky, pistachio cream, lime, velvet falernum, vanilla. Silky, nutty, dessert-adjacent without being sweet.
• Slow Dancing in a Burning Room — Mezcal, amaro Montenegro, lemon, rose water, strawberry liqueur. Smoky, bittersweet, floral — the kind of drink you order to be surprised.

None of these is a well-drink dressed up. They're built around real spirits, which is the tell of a serious bar.

"I don't recognize half these ingredients. How do I choose?"

Tell the bartender two things: a spirit you like, and whether you want it refreshing or spirit-forward. That's genuinely all it takes.

Here's a shortcut, organized by what you usually reach for:

When in doubt, the bartender would rather point you to the right drink than watch you order something you won't love. Asking is the move, not the fallback.

"What's a good cocktail to drink with a steak?"

Go spirit-forward and bold. A dry-aged steak is a big, rich plate — the drink beside it needs enough backbone to stand up rather than disappear.

Wine is the classic partner, and our Italian wine and steak pairing guide covers that side in depth. But a well-built cocktail can absolutely hold the line. Reach for the whiskey- and agave-driven drinks — something like the bourbon-based No Crying in Baseball (Larceny bourbon, white peach, honey-thyme, Carpano Antica, apple bitters) has the structure and the bittersweet depth to sit next to a dry-aged cut without getting bulldozed.

The rule of thumb: light, citrusy cocktails are for before the meal. Spirit-forward, lower-sugar drinks are for during it.

"Are the cocktails only as good as they sound, or is there something behind them?"

There's a lot behind them — and that's what separates a craft program from a bar that just owns a cocktail shaker.

A cocktail is only as good as the spirit it's built on, and Sofia's back bar runs deep. The tequila alone spans Casa Dragones, Clase Azul, and Don Julio 1942. The whiskey bench includes Blanton's, Booker's, Michter's 10, and Whistlepig across several ages. There's serious scotch (Macallan up to 25, Lagavulin 16), Japanese whisky (Yamazaki 12 and 18), and cognac climbing to Rémy Martin Louis XIII.

Why does that matter for a cocktail order? Because a bar willing to stock that range is a bar that cares what goes into the shaker. The depth behind the bar is the quiet proof the cocktails in front of it are the real thing.

"I'm not drinking tonight. What have you got besides soda?"

More than most places, and that's on purpose. A serious bar treats the non-drinker as a guest to impress, not accommodate.

Sofia's mocktail list is genuinely built, not an afterthought:

• Phony Negroni — a non-alcoholic Negroni bottled by St. Agrestis, bitter and complex, nothing like a juice mix
• A Better Buzz — fresh espresso, French vanilla, served up like an espresso martini, minus the alcohol
• Once U-Pom a Thyme — pomegranate, lemon, thyme-infused honey, light tonic
• Island Passion — passionfruit, vanilla, lime, ginger beer

Whether you're the designated driver, taking a night off, or just don't feel like drinking, you get something made with the same care as the cocktails. That's a real marker of a fine dining bar.

"It's after dinner. What's the move?"

Slow down and go darker. After a big meal, the bar shifts from cocktails to the digestivo tradition — a drink meant to settle the meal rather than start one.

Sofia's after-dinner list runs through amari (Montenegro, Averna, Fernet Branca, the excellent Amaro Nonino), grappa, limoncello, and aged tawny ports from Taylor Fladgate at ten, twenty, and thirty years. Any of them is a proper close to the evening.

And if you want the full Sofia finish, the after-dinner drink pairs with a cigar downstairs — one of the few indoor cigar lounges in New Jersey, which our cigar lounge guide covers. A tawny port and a cigar is a hard evening to beat.

"Is the bar worth coming to on its own, without dinner?"

Yes — and that's the point of a real cocktail program. A fine dining bar should be a destination, not a waiting room for the dining room.

Between the signature list, the aperitivo hour, the spirits depth, and the lounge downstairs, Sofia's bar stands on its own for a drink after work, a cocktail before a show at nearby Bergen PAC, or a nightcap. For Bergen County drinkers, it's the kind of craft bar that used to mean a trip across the bridge — part of the broader case our Bergen County vs. Manhattan guide makes.

"What if I still can't decide?"

Then do the one thing this whole guide is really about: talk to the bartender. Tell them what you like, what mood you're in, and whether it's before, during, or after dinner. A craft bar's staff know their list cold, and they would genuinely rather build you the right drink than watch you settle.

The menu is a map. The bartender is the guide.

About Sofia Englewood

Sofia is a fine dining Italian steakhouse in downtown Englewood, NJ, recognized by NJ Digest for "timeless elegance coupled with modern culinary excellence." The bar runs a craft cocktail program — signature drinks like the Jungle Bird, Up in Smoke, and Geisha's Lullaby — over a deep bench of premium tequila, bourbon, scotch, and Japanese whisky, plus spritzes, a full mocktail list, and an after-dinner selection of amari, grappa, and port. Downstairs sits a speakeasy-style cigar lounge, one of the few indoor cigar venues in New Jersey.

For reservations and private events, call (201) 541-8530 or book online. Full menus and hours and location are on the site.

Quick Questions

What should I order at a craft cocktail bar before dinner? Order something bright and bittersweet that opens the appetite, like a spritz. At Sofia in Englewood, the Aperol Spritz, Hugo Spritz, and French 75 all work as aperitivo openers before a meal.

What cocktail pairs best with steak? Spirit-forward, lower-sugar cocktails pair best with steak — whiskey- and agave-based drinks with enough backbone to stand up to a rich, dry-aged cut. A bourbon cocktail like Sofia's No Crying in Baseball is a strong match. Light, citrusy drinks are better before the meal than during it.

Does Sofia have mocktails? Yes. Sofia offers a built-out mocktail program, including a Phony Negroni bottled by St. Agrestis and A Better Buzz, an alcohol-free espresso martini, plus fresh-fruit options — made with the same care as the cocktails.

What's a good after-dinner drink at a steakhouse? After dinner, reach for a digestivo — an amaro, grappa, limoncello, or aged tawny port meant to settle the meal. Sofia's list includes Amaro Nonino, Fernet Branca, and Taylor Fladgate ports up to thirty years, which pair well with a cigar in the downstairs lounge.

Is Sofia's bar good for just drinks without dinner? Yes. Sofia's bar works as a destination on its own, with a craft cocktail list, a Thursday aperitivo hour, a deep spirits selection, and a cigar lounge — suited to after-work drinks, a pre-theater cocktail near Bergen PAC, or a nightcap.