Ferndale Espresso Bar Shifts Focus to Specialty Cocktails

in Ferndale introduced new hours and a revamped menu this week.

As of Tuesday, the espresso and cocktail bar at 201 E. Nine Mile Road will be open 5 p.m. to midnight Tuesday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Though you won't be able to stop in for a morning coffee at 6 a.m. anymore, business manager Noah Dorfman says the new menu will cater to what customers have shown most interest in, including specialty cocktails and high-end small plates.

"After doing a year of business here we have kind of seen what Ferndale really appreciates in our business and we're trying to adapt it to how the people have used Torino over the last year," Dorfman said Tuesday. "We felt that we could better serve our customers by kind of narrowing down our scope of things."

Torino will focus on light fare accompanied by specialty cocktails while still offering espresso and caffeinated beverages.

"When we opened, we took great pains to create an environment that is reminiscent of the kinds of cafés I’d seen over the course of my travels and living in Miami," Dorfman said. "For me, our handcrafted cocktails have always set us apart and we felt it was time to tailor our menu to better reflect that."

Additions to the menu include several new cocktails ($7+), a la carte meats and cheeses ($5-$7), a meat and cheese Panini and a sampling platter.

Torino uses locally grown food as much as possible and is part of the , Dorfman said.

Popular small plates from the original menu will continue to be offered, including house-made bruschetta, olive tapenade and a house salad.

The new menu includes an extensive list of handcrafted cocktails, many of which involve fresh herbs, vegetables, fruits, house-infused liquors and house-made syrups.

The Italian Spritzer ($9) carries over from the original menu and features Hendrick’s Gin, St. Germain, Prosecco, lemon and sugar. The Nine Mile Mule ($8) includes Russian Standard Vodka, strawberry, cucumber, lime and ginger beer.

Torino is also adding a happy hour menu available daily from 5-8 p.m.

"We worked really hard to grow our specialty cocktail offerings while, at the same time, maintaining the integrity of our original menu," said general manager Jim Culliton. "Since we opened, we’ve made it a priority to set ourselves apart in the market and our cocktail menu has always served as an illustration of that philosophy; we are excited about the opportunity to focus our efforts on this side of our business."

Torino, which just celebrated its one-year anniversary in the city, is here to stay, Dorfman said.

"We're not going anywhere," he said. "Torino is fully invested in Ferndale and this was more just a kind of evolution of how we thought the business was taking us."