New Jersey entrepreneur conjures up a fantasy and magic themed bar

I’ll admit that I haven’t been there, but this new pub in Philly, created by a man from Marlton, sounds pretty incredible. It’s called The Cauldron and it’s complete with wands, robes, and potions.

It’s also interactive. As described by the Philadelphia Inquirer, it’s best experienced in groups of two or four. When you arrive, you’re given a robe and a magic wand, and, yes, the wand is functional: it will help you make drinks.

Your journey is led by a “potion master” with the first stop a row of unicorn heads on the wall, which dispense your first drink once you activate them with your wand.

The next drink the customer gets to brew themselves. The Courier Post reports that there is a locked box with liquids like “hydra venom” and “tincture of elder nectar” along with alcohols and botanicals that can only be opened via wand. The ingredients are mixed over a Bunsen burner to create a luminous concoction.

The whole experience starts at $40 and is a timed event that includes your welcome cocktail (from the unicorn head) and two molecular cocktails to brew over one hour and 45 minutes.

All the wands, potions, robes, and magic are strictly from the Cauldron. There is no tie-in to Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings or any other copyrighted characters.

The creator of all this wizardry is a Marlton man who grew up reading fantasy novels. Matt Cortland, who is only 33, is a Rutgers grad who has worked for Teach America, and got a fellowship to Ireland where he got a master’s degree in engineering design. He originally set out to make a working magic wand with a 3-D printer. He succeeded and applied to the bar/restaurant industry, opening the first Cauldron in London.

While there are currently no plans to open a New Jersey location, Cortland told the Courier Post that it might come to South Jersey, “It would be relatively easy, I think, to open one in SJ,” he said.

Your working magic wand will help you craft potions (cocktails).

A luminous cocktail is part of the experience.

Yes, the Dragon’s Breath includes actual fire.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

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