www.cheersonline.com
27
APRIL 2014
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gallons of punch cold and in suspension to prevent spoilage.
e drink vessel is important too: e Dead Rabbit sourced
demitasse and regular porcelain tea cups, and vintage punch
sets, since the bar also oers punch by the bowl for $55 to $90,
depending on the number of servings.
"Presentation is everything to the guest," Vickroy says, from
the glassware to the rim to the garnish and avors. In the end,
appetizer-sized beverages should produce the same visual appeal
and avor as any cocktail.
Kelly Magyarics is a wine, spirits and lifestyle writer and wine
educator in the Washington, D.C. area. She can be reached on her
website, www.kellymagyarics.com, or on Twitter and Instagram @
kmagyarics.
Tiny Tequila Tipples
Mix-your-own mini tequila cocktails are a creative
option for guests who want to experience the
Mexican spirit in a new way. At Mex, a 209-seat,
family-style Mexican restaurant in Bloomfield Hills,
MI, guests can order tequila flights comprised of
any of the more than 100 tequilas on the menu. The
tequilas, priced $4 to $100, can be sipped before or
mixed with a selection of sangritas served alongside.
"Mixing and matching different tequila brands and
styles, and sipping them with the chasers, provides
limitless possibilities," notes director of training
Jaimee Tepker. Mex's Sangrita Herbaceous has notes
of cilantro and cucumber notes, Sangrita Citrus mixes
in lime and spice, and Sangrita Spice is infused with
red pepper. "It's interactive and fun, not to mention
educational," she says.
At El Centro, D.F., a duo of Mexican restaurants
in Washington, D.C. owned by Richard Sandoval
Restaurants, tequilas are infused with seasonal fruit,
herbs and vegetables. They're served in flights of
three, with a traditional sangrita palate cleanser,
for $21. The tequila infusions render unique mini
cocktail-esque libations that often appeal to guests
that tend to eschew the spirit.
"Even when tequila is mixed with orange juice
or soda, or made into a cocktail, it does not even
come close to the beauty, flavor and aroma of a
properly made infusion," says Robert Day, national
beverage director for the 35 concepts of Richard
Sandoval Restaurants. Twelve seasonal flavors
include cucumber/watermelon, cranberry/orange
zest, pineapple/serrano and strawberry/basil, all
attractively served in wrought iron swirled stands
with angular shot glasses. "The presentation of
the tequilas along with the sangrita is unique and
impressive," he says. —KAM
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.
Mini "couptails" at
Anasazi include The
Republic, above, and
The Bon Bon, left.
Sangrita and
tequila flights at
Mex in Bloomfield
Hills, MI.
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