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Most families have someone they call the “black sheep,” someone who is unlike the others in so many ways.
Robbie Gossman has a black sheep in his family. But it is not a person, instead it is his newest endeavor in the hospitality industry — The Black Sheep Cocktail Bar & Kitchen located in Hampden.
“The meaning behind ‘black sheep’ is that we are doing something outside of the norm and people are responding favorably to our bringing something unique to Western Massachusetts,” Gossman said.
Gossman isn’t new to the food and beverage industry. He once owned McCaffrey’s Public House in downtown Springfield and was the founder and owner of Nathan Bill’s Bar & Restaurant before becoming disillusioned with the industry and taking a several year break. He moved to Central America for two years and traveled through Europe and South America.
“I was burned out and suffering from a lack of creativity and took time for myself learning yoga and plant medicine and finding a new purpose in life. I returned home for a good reason, to be with family. Figuring out what to do with my life now that I had returned home, I fell back into the only thing I was familiar with — the restaurant industry,” Gossman said.
Talking with friends about a possible new venture in the marketplace, the discussion would always center back to wanting to do something different that would encourage the creativity factor. Eventually Gossman would pair up with William Howe, his executive chef, and they both became excited about creating a scratch kitchen where everything — from the cocktails to the food — is prepared “from scratch” using fresh ingredients, without frozen or processed foods.
“Our roots are based in traditional classic bartending, which I feel has gotten lost in this country. But we’ve put it back into place at The Black Sheep by using proper techniques such as crystal clear ice, just the right measurements, and the perfect glass for each drink. And we mimic our kitchen with the same attention to details. When people come in, we want their perception to have changed — that we are not like any other place around. We are consistent with what we do and our attention to details. We want to provide all of your senses into your experience at The Black Sheep,” Gossman said.
Another aspect Gossman feels is lost in this country is the concept of sharing meals together.
“It doesn’t exist here. It is typical to buy an entrée in America where the portions are bigger and there is a tendency to say, ‘This is all mine.’ It is very important to me to bring people together, face-to-face in today’s society to enjoy one another and to share a taste of their dish with others. There is something to be said about ordering a small plate and offering a taste from it to the person next to you … it is all about giving and sharing,” Gossman said.
As an example, Chef Howe noted to think about going on a date with someone.
“Your dish comes to the table and you say, ‘Try mine, this is amazing,” then your date says the same, ‘Try mine, it’s amazing as well.’ What we are trying to do is bring people together, to come in and order four or five small plates that everyone shares. That is the experience we hope to encourage and create here at The Black Sheep,” he said
When it comes to mixing incredible tasting cocktails, Gossman, who was a bartender at one time, knows more than a thing or two about making the perfect drink.
“When we decided upon the concept for The Black Sheep, I went to Amsterdam where I attended an intense mixology course for five weeks, eight hours a day to learn the classic ways of preparing cocktails. I followed that up with a barista course in Columbia for 10 days. I did this because this concept is not popular in the area and it is hard to find employees versed in how to prepare a drink the classic way. So, I went to learn for myself so that I could train our employees on how I wanted things done behind the bar. And the staff we selected have been great on breaking old habits and learning how to do things the right way,” he shared.
Doing things the right way takes time, but it doesn’t mean you will go thirsty waiting for your drink — it’s all in the prep.
“Every single drink takes hours and hours of prep time before mixing and pouring into your glass,” Gossman said. He cited as an example the Banana Walnut Old Fashioned on their Winter Cocktail Specials.
“We start with a special mold that produces crystal clear ice cubes and that alone takes two days to completely freeze and clear. The syrup for this drink is made from over-ripened whole bananas mixed with demerara sugar that needs to maturate for 24 hours. When ready, it is bagged and sealed and placed into a sous vide cooker for six hours, then fine strained and chilled before making its way into the cocktail. Finally, we garnish the drink with our house made candied walnuts,” Gossman said.
Clear ice, which has become synonymous with premium drinks and an elevated drinking experience at high-end cocktails bars like The Black Sheep, adds an increased visual appearance to the drink and melts more slowly so there is less dilution to the drink. Demerara sugar which is less refined adds a more complex flavor profile to cocktails,
especially to an Old Fashioned, with notes of caramel and
molasses.
Among the flavorful and inspired cocktail menu includes such drinks as the Matcha Pisco Sour made with their scratch sour paired with their house made organic matcha syrup inspired from Chile/Peru. I’m Sexy & I Know It is pink, bubbly, floral, citrus and delicious boasts the description. Their Margarita Tierra Viva is all natural with 100% blue agave tequila and agave syrup. And for sharing, just like their small plates, is a Black Sheep Scorpion Bowl that is fruity and full of booze, with tequila and rum as the stars, along with a little kick. Still other concoctions include the Hot & Dirty Pig Martini, Blood Orange Aperol Spritz, Mezcal Mule, Danni’s Spicy Paloma, Nonnie’s Sour, and Take Me to Church.
There are also plenty of new meticulously crafted, fullof- flavor drinks to try from their Winter Cocktail Specials. How about a Warm Carajillo, Columbia’s famous café cocktail tailored to the Massachusetts winter, or Our Famous Penicillin with fresh ginger and local honey, and a Solstice Margarita with real 100% cranberry juice. Old Fashioned lovers have new tastes to try as well including Banana Walnut and Smoked Maple, alongside popular martinis now including an Orange Julius, Pistachio, and My Espresso.
And there is a selection of craft beers to choose from – as well as Mich Ultra — and fine wines for vino lovers.
For those who don’t imbibe alcohol, nonalcoholic mocktails also have a special place on the menu.
“I think fewer people are drinking alcohol today, but still want the experience of being at a cocktail bar and sharing a drink with friends,” Gossman said about their mocktails, which receive the same attention to details as their regular drink menu from using organic fruits to pure cane sugar and fresh squeezed juices.
When it comes to creating taste-tempting experiences like no other, similar to Gossman and his knowledge about making the perfect cocktail, Howe knows more than a thing or two about creating delicious recipes. Before The Black Sheep, he brought his unique talents to restaurants around New England as a graduate of and then instructor when Le Cordon Bleu, one of the top cooking schools in the world, opened in the United States.
“Robbie and I would go out to dinner and talk about dishes we have enjoyed in our many travels but could not enjoy anymore back home. We began jotting down notes about possible menu items, going back and forth and revising our list, eventually over time ending up with the Bar Snacks menu we offer today,” Chef Howe said.
He noted one of the most popular sellers is their Scallops and Bacon that are “not really just scallops in bacon” like the appetizer, but a rendition of it made by deconstructing all its components in a higher end way. And just as many of their drinks, it requires hours and hours of prep time. As described on the menu, Scallops and Bacon features bourbon butter seared sea scallops, braised pork belly, onion and bacon jam, and maple gastrique.
The Deviled Eggs are part of a trendy new addition to menus today, especially in bigger city cocktail bars and kitchens comparable to what Gossman and Chef Howe have brought to customers in Western Massachusetts.
“They are a huge success and not the run-of-the-mill deviled eggs many people are familiar with. We change them regularly with the season and also base them on foreign dishes like our Asian-inspired ramen deviled eggs,” Howe said.
In addition, there are 14 other bar snacks on the menu to please all tastes, including Warm Spanish Olives, Charred Caesar, Salmon Blini, Spanish or Italian Charcuteries, Wagyu Smash Sliders, Duck Rillette, Tabbouleh and Hummus, Shawarma Charred Wings and more.
Three new skewer bar snacks have also been added to the menu for the season, including Brazilian Beef with house made chimichurri and red cabbage slaw, Jerk Chicken that is house-brined and marinated then charred over wood coals, and Lamb Skewers served with house made Tzatziki.
And to end the night, there are several sweet treats to choose from including Affogato, Chocolate Delice and Mediterranean Orange Cake.
Gossman is looking forward to continued success in 2025 based on what customers have been telling him. “I believe it is the fact that we are different that keeps customers coming back again and again. What we are hearing from people are comments like ‘It’s about time someone does something different around here. It feels like New York City.’ And we keep hearing that over and over again. But it’s not just about the atmosphere, it’s about the food, our drinks, the décor, lighting and music … everything,” Gossman said.
Both Gossman and Howe are quick to share their early success with staff they say “each of whom has their own signature on The Black Sheep.”
“We have a core group of people at The Black Sheep, some of us have been friends for anywhere from 10 to 30 years, and even those we haven’t known for very long are quickly becoming family. Everyone working here has been with us since opening in October after going through months of training. We’re a close-knit group with experience in the industry, each of us bringing our own creativity to what we do, whether it is in the front or back of the house,” Gossman said.
THE BLACK SHEEP COCKTAIL BAR & KITCHEN IS AT 5 ALLEN ST. IN HAMPDEN, IN WHAT WAS FORMERLY THE MIN CHAO GOURMET. HOURS ARE WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY FROM 4 P.M. TO MIDNIGHT, AS WELL AS OFFERING A SPECIAL SUNDAY BRUNCH FROM 11 A.M. TO 3 P.M. WITH THE BAR OPEN UNTIL 10 P.M.
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