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Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/123667
A DUSAN VUKSANOVIC, LEAH FRANKL s restaurants increase their focus on locavore cuisine, guests at the bar are also more aware of what's in their glass—and where it's from. Operators recognize that patrons not only like to eat local, they drink that way too. So bars are reaching for local and regionally distilled spirits, as well as farm-fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables for infusions, shrubs, bitters and garnishes. The increased availability of locally distilled spirits has been a boon for bars, says Vikram Hegde, head bartender at the 175-seat Island Creek Oyster Bar in Boston. "With local distillers all making better and better products every year, it's becoming a lot easier for cocktails programs to really get behind the local guys," he says. Island Creek's Franklin's Ghost cocktail ($10) mixes Bully Boy white whiskey from Boston with locally made Bonnie's Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. The 1822 drink ($10) features housemade, rhubarb-infused vermouth and Knockabout gin from Gloucester, MA. The Farm/Farmers Restaurant Group in Kensington, MD, also uses spirits distilled nearby in locavore libations in its two Founding Farmers farm-to-table restaurants. "People are getting more involved in the craft of distilling, and are starting to prefer small-batch spirit production that's done close to home," says chief mixologist/beverage director Jon Arroyo. The company's proprietary Founding Farmers rye, produced at the Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville, VA, is added to drinks like the Farmers' Smash ($12) with muddled lemon, orange ginger syrup and bitters, and the Ward 8 ($12), with house-made grenadine and lemon and orange juices. Bartenders also drop a shot of the rye into Raging Bitch Imperial IPA from Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, MD, for the FF Boiler Maker ($10). And the operator's Farmers Fishers Bakers concept on the Georgetown waterfront serves hard apple cider made in-house from apples sourced from regional orchards. Above, the Whiskey Smash from Baltimore, MAbased Woodberry Kitchen is made with regional ingredients. Right, Founding Farmers' Ward 8 cocktail uses the operator's proprietary rye. LOCAL COLOR Proximity to farm-fresh ingredients drives guest expectations for local goods and ensures the quality of the final product. Amelia Sauter, co-owner of Felicia's Atomic Lounge, a 65-seat locavore-focused venue in Ithaca, NY, strives to use cocktail ingredients sourced from within 20 miles. But most of the time, she can find fresh items within a 10-mile radius. The bar's motto is "small town; big cocktails," Sauter says, "so once people know our commitment to making locavore cocktails, the drinks sell themselves." Felicia's Sage-Riesling cocktail ($7) muddles lemon and sage with Finger Lakes www.cheersonline.com MAY 2013 | 33