Folks in San Antonio often overlook St. Paul Square, but that’s becoming harder to do since the addition of Lilly’s Greenville in the summer of 2019.

The recent addition to this historic Eastside district has made it one of the city’s go-to entertainment hotspots. So naturally we had to include them in this year’s Kinsman Brandy Alexander Tour, and we’re sure glad we did! How else would we have met Dean Garcia…aka Dean and Cheese, or my personal favorite, Dean the Machine?

Dean’s the guy behind Niko & Dimes, his take on the classic Brandy Alexander. He’s a San Antonio native (Brandeis High School for those who care) and has been behind the bar for 8 years. He’s a self-described nerd who’s into videography, cinematography, playing video games and building computers. I believe he used the phrase ”get hard for hardware.” Whatever floats your boat Dean.

What floats my boat though is great cocktails, and Niko & Dimes certainly delivers. The name itself is inspired by Nikola Tesla, the most famous Serbian in history…besides our very own of course. Other than a half ounce of amaro (and Kinsman obvy), the entire cocktail uses house-made ingredients, which may make it difficult to replicate at home, but who cares! That’s why we have Dean the Machine around.

And thank God he’s around too ‘cause his cocktail is truly one of a kind! The slight herbal bitterness of the amaro helps balance out the sweetness of the chocolate syrup and apple cinnamon bourbon, which is enhanced somewhat by a pinch of salt. The result is a unique take on a classic cocktail that will almost certainly have you ordering more than one.