Crema’s new cocktail bar features deft, nuanced creations – and a couple of old favorites.

A hollow impression of citrus poises over the palate – lime, certainly, but lingering at a distance that softens the fruit’s sharp bite. There is a waft of zest with a heft gently applied, and swirling whispers of banana. Such is the daiquiri at Crema. It’s nuanced, yet also balanced, fresh and easy to enjoy. The recipe is simple – just rum, fresh lime juice and simple syrup. But it tells you much about the cocktail menu.

The spirit is distilled nearby, Humboldt Distillery organic rum. The gin used to make the Blue Crush cocktail is Gray Whale, with botanicals picked in Monterey County. Limes juiced in house are a theme, perking up the “Loverita,” the Paloma and other creations. When bartenders must stray for ingredients, the reason becomes clear. The notions of dried fruit and molasses from Appleton Estate Dark Rum, for instance, cozy up to grilled pineapple syrup in the Captain Fernando Ottero.

These are beachy cocktails for Crema’s new location. But there are richer options, including espresso-based cocktails and a play on the classic Irish coffee. It’s not an extensive menu, but that allows focus – bright, fresh and breezy for the beachside setting, dark and caffeinated, reflecting Crema’s coffee lineup.

Of course, Crema’s iterations were justifiably praised for the Bloody Mary and Ramos gin fizz, and both return. But the daiquiri is a good place to start – perfect, as the menu reminds us, “with sweeping ocean views.”

CREMA, 631 Ocean View Blvd., Pacific Grove. (831) 375-1300, cremapg.com