The chalkboard list of beers and wines displayed a message at the Modern Cafe. Photo by Tom Horgen.

The Modern Cafe's chalkboards -- usually reserved for the beer and wine list -- displayed a new message recently. Photo by Tom Horgen.

Here’s a quick way to make a good restaurant even better: get a full liquor license. For its new endeavor, the Modern Café in northeast Minneapolis is treating its drink list just like its famous pot roast. It’s keeping it classic.

Most of the nine cocktails on its menu all hail from the pre-Prohibition era. They include: the Manhattan, Old Fashioned, Negroni, Martini, French 75, Sidecar, Gimlet, plus a champagne cocktail and a margarita. The classic cocktails fit right into the restaurant’s penchant for old-school cool.