ROCK FALLS — The name of Kim and Mike Kilday’s business says something about the couple who runs it: They like to mix things up.

You take a bar, you take martinis and what do you get? Bartini’s.

The couple have been pouring their time and talents into the downtown bar since 2017, where they offer martinis, cocktails, and beer from behind the bar. It’s the kind of menu that offers specialty drinks that’ll have you trying one, and then another.

It’ll also have you asking: How can you get birthday cakes, caramel apples, cucumbers, pink Starbursts and “Salty Balls” into a glass?

The Kildays have put together a menu that’s not only helped make a name for the bar, but made it a downtown destination where people can whet their whistle and enjoy a night out. It’s also given Kim a place where she can have fun tapping into her creativity for curious-sounding concoctions that have become customer favorites. For her, the more the merrier: The more creative she can get, and the more people who can enjoy what she’s mixing up, the better.

It’s the creativity and customers that makes being behind the bar fun for Kim, who served her first glasses of alcohol at Candlelight Inn in Sterling a couple of decades ago.

“When I was a bartender, I was the one who always liked to make the difficult drinks,” Kim said. “When people ordered martinis or Long Island iced teas, a lot of the time when it’s busy and bartenders are like, ‘Oh, gosh,’ I was the one who was like, ‘I’ll make it, I’ll make it!’

Martinis became Kim’s favorite drink to make, and when she and Mike decided to open a bar of their own, they knew they wanted to make them a big part of their menu, and the business name — but don’t let the name fool you: James Bond’s favorite drink isn’t all they serve.

While some people may think Bartini’s is just a martini bar, it’s far from it. Beer, cocktails, signature shots, wine … there’s plenty of drinks that put the “bar” in Bartini’s.

“We specialize in martinis — and we can make a good, high quality martini — but a lot of people think that is all we do,” Mike said. “We’re a full service bar. We want it to be something more than just your standard beer-and-shot kind of bar.”

One example is a mini beer shot that’s not actually beer, but rather a drink made with Spanish vanilla liqueur with notes of cinnamon and orange.

Around 25 different clear or creamy, and fruity or sour, martinis make up Bartini’s everyday menu, as well as ten each of various cocktails (on a seasonal rotation) and signature shots. Holiday-themed drinks make the rounds when their times come.

Cosmopolitans and dirty martinis are old favorites and they’re part of the menu as well, but there also are signature specials such as the creamy Bartini Martini, a peanut butter and chocolate-flavored creation with a rim of Butterfinger bits; an espresso-flavored one with vodka and Frangelico; and the birthday cake drink of Godiva cake-flavored vodka topped with whipped cream and sprinkles.

One of the best selling martinis is the cucumber: It’s made with cucumber vodka and lemon juice, with Tajín — a Mexican spice mix consisting predominantly of lime, chili peppers and salt — rimmed around the glass. The idea for that came from friends of the Kildays from Puerto Rico who own a bar there and serve a cucumber margarita in the same way.

“My friend said, ‘When you go back to your bar, you should make a cucumber martini and rub it in Tajín,’” Kim said. “When people come in and see that on the menu, they’re like, ‘A cucumber martini?’ People ask me what my favorite is, and I’ll tell them that. I’ll tell them that if they like cucumbers, you will enjoy it because it’s very refreshing.”

Whether it’s close to home or south of the border, the Kildays enjoy welcoming different drinks into their mix. Drinks have come from their own ideas, tweaks of recipes they find online and even the occasional customer suggestion.

This summer’s cocktail selection includes flavors such as Peach Beach, made of Malibu, peach Schnapps, orange and pineapple juice with a dash of grenadine; and a “very cherry” Moscow Mule with cherry vodka, grenadine, lime juice, ginger beer and plenty of cherries. Among the signature shot selection is one called Salty Balls, which is served in a split shot glass with butter-flavored shots, RumChata and salt; a pink Starburst-flavored shot, and a Dilly Bar shot in cherry, chocolate or butterscotch flavors.

Having so many drinks to keep track of is no easy task for the Kildays’ staff of five bartenders, but they have a good book to help them. Kim has put together a “bar bible” that ensures that customers can expect the same drink no matter who makes it.

Consistency is “so important,” Kim said. “We stress that to our bartenders about being consistent because I don’t want someone to come in on a Tuesday and order a martini, and come back on Thursday and someone new is behind the bar and go, ‘This isn’t like what I had on Tuesday.’ That’s why we stress the importance of following the recipes.”

Another important part of the mix is presentation, and the Kildays know the importance of social media in today’s business world, where a picture can be worth a thousand likes.

“We like our drinks to look as good as they taste,” Kim said. “I’m all about presentation. … The prettier we can make it, I’m all about it. We’ll put all kinds of swirls and sugars on the rim, and when you’re pouring it – when the customer starts to see it and you put it on the napkin and push it toward them, they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s so pretty,’ and there’ll be people who will take pictures. They’re always taking pictures, and we’ll tell them to put it online.”

Bartini’s does not have a kitchen, but customers can buy a bags of chip or other light snack to go with their drink — and in a show of support for their fellow businesses, the Kildays have menus from nearby food establishments so that customers can order food to be delivered there. “We have plates, napkins, silverware, anything that you would need to enjoy your meal,” Kim said. “That way you can stay and drink some of our martinis while you’re eating.”

The bar also has a deck where customers can enjoy their drinks and conversations outside, dart boards, gambling machines and a digital jukebox. Customers can also enjoy a game of Boss Toss, a sort of bags and skee-ball combination: The goal is to toss bags into holes in a pyramid-shaped box on the wall (go to bosstoss.com/how-to-play to learn how to play).

With so much in the mix, it may be hard for patrons to pick a favorite, but that’s OK. Variety is the spice of life — and libations — and the Kildays invite folks to stop by and see all they have to offer.

“We’re both very proud of what we’ve built here,” Kim said. “I wanted it to be more than just martinis, and that’s how we came up with Bartini’s, a fun play on words. That’s, I think, our biggest misconception: people think we’re only a martini bar, and we’re not just martinis.”

Bartini’s, 205 West Second St. in Rock Falls, is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight Friday, and 5 p.m. to midnight on Saturday. Find it on Facebook or call 815-625-8078 for more information.