From Dawn to Dusk: Exploring Drift’s Home Base and Beverages on State Street
Drift Hotel on State Street is more than a place for visitors to sleep. It has a welcoming cafe and bar with creative concoctions in an inviting and open social atmosphere. Positioned on the 500 block of State Street, between Cota and Haley Streets, it beckons visitors and locals alike to stop into Dawn for morning coffee and lunchtime sips with a range of sweet and savory bakery bites. By afternoon, activity shifts to Dusk for its cocktail program and a finely honed menu of small plates like whipped ricotta with chili crisp and grilled bread, and fresh oysters.
Drift welcomes any variety of guests, with accommodations ranging from cozy and mid-size rooms, to the top-floor penthouse suite. When many bar programs offer cocktails nearing $20, Drift’s tend to be $16 or less. Michael Wiggins runs the bar program, bringing his experience from Che Fico Restaurant in San Francisco to our quieter and more laid-back town while still maintaining an impeccable lineup of quality cocktails.
These two unique spaces share three creative beverages from their seasonal summer menu: Dawn’s Matcha Lemonade, Dusk’s Peach Habanero Shrub, and the Morning Dew cocktail, which is deceptively simple at face value. Its wow factor comes out in technique. Depending on your level of experience, the recipe is aspirational—one for cocktail aficionados who love a good challenge involving multiple components. Give it a try, but maybe it’s easier to just walk in and order one. Then you can mingle with our Santa Barbara guests and share with them your insider tips. It might just refresh your own sense of awe.
