Cheers

www.cheersonline.com 26 | APRIL 2014 Irish whiskey, Dead Rabbit Jamaican rum, pimento dram, Lapsang souchong tea and Irish stout; and Knock-Out Punch, with Jameson Black Barrel, cranberry and elderower liqueurs, hibiscus tea, dry cider and Burlesque bitters. McGarry said the bar's original intention of serving punch was to remove its stigma as a "grotesque mixture" consumed at college parties. "It has become much bigger than that now; it acts as an amazing welcome to a world-class cocktail bar." Small cocktails also make great Happy Hour specials. Dominick's, a Little Italy-inspired restaurant in West Hollywood, features $4 mini versions of ve popular cocktails during its "5 O'clock Meeting" daily from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.: a gin or vodka Martini, Manhattan, Tequila Daisy (with Napoleon Mandarin, lime, honey and grapefruit peel), and an Italian spin on a Champagne cocktail made with prosecco and strawberries. "e minis are three and a half-ounce coupes that look graceful and adorable," says Dominick's general manager Jessica Schmidt. Beverage director Nikki Sunseri was inspired to add the petite potables to the menu to give the former Rat Pack hangout more of a classic Hollywood vibe. SAFER SAMPLING A mini cocktail's more manageable size allows experimentation with peace of mind. For instance, each mini Martini ight at Houlihan's is equivalent to one cocktail. "Everyone at some point decides they want that second or third drink because there are too many good options on the menu," Vickroy says. "Why not oer them in the smaller size to provide that safe environment?" Reis of e Anasazi Restaurant and Bar agrees. "I wanted guests to sample more than one drink without having to worry about consuming too much alcohol," he notes. "With each drink containing only an ounce of liquor, it's not overwhelming to consider sampling more than one." MAKING MINIS WORK Adding apptails to the menu requires specic consideration. You might think that smaller drinks are easier to execute than their larger counterparts, but that's not the case, says Reis of e Anasazi. e smaller size "is the exact reason they can be so dicult to produce—they require extreme accuracy!" Houlihan's Frentress suggests bartenders batch the mini cocktails ahead of time if possible, to avoid getting overwhelmed during busy shifts. at's why punches, house-made infusions and batched/bottled signature cocktails tend to work well in small formats. Hard Rock Café in late March unveiled a new beverage menu that includes the Air Mexico, a sampling-sized portion of its signature Margaritas. Guests can choose three avors, which include watermelon, mango, cucumber, Blue Curacao, pomegranate or wildberry for the ight. Bartenders at Hard Rock Cafe can prep the classic Margarita base, which uses Avion silver tequila and Cointreau, and then easily assemble the ights by adding the various custom avors on order, says Cindy Busi, Hard Rock's senior director of worldwide beverage. e Air Mexico, which is served with chips and house-made salsa, is priced at about $13.99. Quality control is key when batching drinks for a mini cocktail or punch program. e Dead Rabbit purchased an $8,000 punch-circulation system, which allows sta to keep 40 Left, a Mini Martini at Dominick's in West Hollywood. Above, the Counter Punch at The Dead Rabbit in New York is one of several punches offered as an amuse-bouche to guests. 24-27 apptails CH0414.indd 26 4/4/2014 11:26:34 AM

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