www.cheersonline.com
35
JUNE 2014
|
T
he era of the supersize Martini has faded, as modern bars
now offer cocktails in manageable portions that won't get
warm or diluted before the last sip. e pendulum is also
swinging in the opposite direction when it comes to drink
potency: less is more.
Guests are increasingly requesting lower-alcohol cocktails,
as they pair more seamlessly with food, and keep the imbiber
clear-headed throughout the evening—and during the drive
home. Bartenders are creatively using aromatized and fortified
wines, amari, bitters and distinctively flavored liqueurs to mix
up delicious sips with just a little kick.
"A strong cocktail can knock out the palate, but a low-
alcohol cocktail, with a nice balance of bitter and acidity, serves
as an aperitif," says Eben Klemm, who consulted on the cocktail
program for Pearl and Ash, a 62-seat American restaurant in
New York's Bowery neighborhood. Klemm points out that the
restaurant's primary beverage focus is wine director Patrick
Cappiello's extensive and exciting wine list, so cocktails need to
preserve guests' palates for what's to follow.
Pearl and Ash offers six low-alcohol drinks, including the
Television Tonic ($13), which mixes Bugey de Cerdon sparkling
rosé from France with Byrrh Grand quinquina and strawberry.
e savory Murder on the Ebullient Express cocktail ($12)
includes white port, Bonal, celery and lime.
Ryan Goodspeed also sees the aperitif appeal in low-alcohol
drinks. "I think it's important to offer something light and
refreshing without the full commitment to a high-alcohol drink,"
says the beverage director for the five concepts of chef Michael
Schwartz's Miami-based e Genuine Hospitality Group.
Genuine's 42-seat "Old Florida"-inspired restaurant e
Cypress Room offers three low-alcohol cocktails priced at $11
each. e Go Lightly tops Cocchi Americano and St. Germain
with sparkling wine, garnished with a lemon peel; the fizzy and
whimsically-coined Sippy Cup combines Aperol, lemon, simple
Light and Lively
Low-alcohol cocktails provide flavor without fuzziness
By Kelly A. Magyarics
The Sippy Cup cocktail ($11)
at The Cypress Room.
34-38 low alcohol CH0614.indd 35 6/3/14 9:43 PM
