Entering the warm glow of @therussandco, a dimly lit boîte tucked under the marquee of the Regent Theatre on Main Street in Picton, Ont., is like stepping back in time. The painted tin ceiling, burlwood panelling and shelves arrayed with an artful clutter of books, antique trophies and taxidermy seem of the same vintage as the circa-1918 cinema. But this cozy cocktail bar is the new kid on the block. Together with artist @christineflynnart, who designed the bar and is also a partner in the business, owners Russ Coughlin and Rob Laine wanted “to create a space that feels like it has been there for years,” Flynn says. The room is lined with elaborate cabinetry that once outfitted a turn-of-the-century pharmacy in Hungary. “It came in what felt like a million pieces,” she says recalling the painstaking installation. “Now it looks like it’s been here forever.” That apothecary elegance was the cue for everything from vintage glassware to gallery walls of photos found in local archives. Likewise, Russ & Co.’s cocktail menu evokes the past through twists on the classics. The Viva Chile is a Pisco sour that swaps in bourbon-infused vanilla bean simple syrup and adds a warming note via a dash of vanilla-fig bitters. Sex in the County, its popular take on the Cosmopolitan, is transformed by cranberry-infused simple syrup and bourbon-infused vanilla bean into a sultry sipper. Text by @jadedjournalista. Photo by @erinleydon.