Cheers

July/August 2014

Cheers is dedicated to delivering hospitality professionals the information, insights and data necessary to drive their beverage business by covering trends and innovations in operations, merchandising, service and training.

Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/345923

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 20 of 51

www.cheersonline.com 21 JULY/AUGUST 2014 | e tipples tend to be aromatic, with just a dash of the exotic. Make It Happen shakes up Vida mezcal, pineapple, lime, Bittermens Hellfire bitters and egg white with Kümmel, a clear, sweet liqueur flavored with caraway, fennel and cumin. e Absolut Elyx- and Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur-based Blame It on the Rain gets its heady quality from burnt cinnamon, lemon and a grilled Fresno pepper. Four rotating kegged lemonades (priced at $12 a serving or $44 a pitcher of five servings) are fizzy thirst-quenchers. "I wanted to create a quick craft cocktail, and Greece is known for its flavored lemonades," notes Ismail. Most popular is the version with gin, Batavia Arrack, grilled lemon, honey, thyme and soda, and the rum lemonade with lemon verbena tea, lemon, cane syrup and Angostura bitters. Rye- based lemonade mingles allspice dram, grapefruit, lemon and sage, and a seasonal flavor adds readily available fruit and produce. Teetotalers and the non-imbibing can select from four aromatic, eclectic house- made sodas. Priced at $6 each, the sodas include ginger beer, and pineapple and lemongrass. Guests often ramp them up by mixing up a spirit. "We add gin to the rhubarb-tarragon soda, and aged rum to the mango, coriander, and hops soda," says Ismail. IT'S NOT ALL GREEK Oenophiles may have to forego any shyness or lack of confidence about grape pronunciations, or risk overlooking the native Greek gems on wine and service director James Horn's list. ese include moschofilero, malagousia and xinomavro. Horn's favorite white on the menu is the full-bodied, saline-tinged 2012 Gaia Estate wild ferment assyrtiko from the island of Santorini ($60 a bottle.) "is typically crisp, mineral-driven white varietal changes into a soft, Burgundian- style white with the addition of the wild yeast lees," he says. He also likes the 2008 Alpha Estate Florina SMX, a blend of syrah, xinomavro and merlot. "For me, this is similar to a Rhône-style blend of GSM, with medium body and a nice spiciness from the native xinomavro." Guests wishing to simply dip their toes in the pool of Greek wine can select from several by the glass, including the floral 2012 Annas moschofilero/roditis from Mantania served on tap ($9 a glass), and the 2012 Kir-Yanni xinomavro, syrah, merlot ($12 a glass, $48 a bottle). Kapnos serves 25 wines on its standard by-the- glass menu, priced $9 to $21. e rest of the wine world gets its due, too. "Since Kapnos' menu has influences from all over the world, I feel it would be an injustice to focus solely on Greek varietals," explains Horn. "We serve our portions mezze style, so the wine list needs to be flexible and match the versatility of the menu." Twenty-one high-end wines are available via the Coravin wine preservation system, in 3- or 6-oz. pours. ese include the 1999-2007 Skouras Labyrinth cabernet sauvignon from Greece ($34 for a 3 -oz. glass, $68 for 6 oz.) and the 1978 Château Musar Bordeaux Blend from Lebanon's Bekaa Valley ($118 a 3 oz.-glass, $235 for 6 oz.). Coravin wines at Kapnos are priced from $14 to $118 for a 3-oz. pour, and double that price for a 6-oz. serving. Kapnos' guests can get schooled in the Greek classics, while sampling some decidedly modern sips and apps. Yamas! Kelly Magyarics, DWS, is a wine, spirits and lifestyle writer and wine educator in the Washington, D.C. area. She can be reached through her website, www.kellymagyarics.com, or on Twitter or Instagram @kmagyarics. GREG POWERS Above, the interior of Kapnos. Below, right, the restaurant's popular gin lemonade cocktail.

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Cheers - July/August 2014