So Macleod's is affiliated with Poquitos and Bastille—how did you meet the owners?

Allen: I was a restaurant painter. I painted Bastille, a couple of Cafe Fiores. I went to Scotland, where I'm from, with them to do development for Macleod's.

Rich: [Laughs] Research and development for us is a pub crawl.

Did you design your menu to complement your enormous Scotch selection?

R: We designed it to be as Scottish as possible within the limitations of not having a kitchen. High 5 Pie developed delicious savory pies for us. We brought in a brand of haggis-flavored potato chips.

You're planning to serve barrel-aged cocktails. Are there ways to predict if a mixed drink will age well?

R: Obviously no meat, and you don't want spirits that have already been aged.

One of your cocktails incorporates porridge, which sounds as awesome as a waffle that functions as a shot glass. Do you have other alcohol and breakfast-food combinations?

A: [Laughs] Haggis could be a breakfast food.

What was the purpose of your salvaged cast-iron gate prior to elegantly preventing people from plummeting off your bar deck while drinking?

A: We got it at a second-hand shop.

R: I'd say it was for keeping in sheep.

A: Only the juiciest sheep. recommended