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37
November / December 2014 •
Operators fuse festive fl avors
and nostalgic ingredients
into holiday menus
By Kelly A. Magyarics
W
hat do guests crave this time of year? Dishes
that coax out feelings of nostalgia, drinks
mixing heavier, fuller-bodied spirits and other
ingredients, and offerings that incorporate late fall's and
early winter's bounty, to name a few things.
During the holidays, "guests are willing to be more
indulgent and pick heartier, braised meats and partake
in dessert more often," notes Matt Adler, executive chef
of Osteria Morini in Washington, D.C. "It's a mixture
of wanting to eat seasonally and replicate the holiday
feasts and gatherings most people grew up with."
The 160-seat restaurant, which also has locations in
New York and Bernardsville, NJ, focuses on the cuisine
of Italy's Emilia-Romagna region. Ingredients that will
fi nd their way onto the menu this time of year include
short ribs, lamb shank, oxtail ravioli and butternut
squash, as well as brown butter, sage and warming spices
like nutmeg and star anise.
As for the drinks, Osteria Morini beverage manager
Kristi Green also reaches for baking spices and similar
holiday fl avors for her concoctions, including cardamom,
cinnamon, clove and smoke. "Scent is the strongest sense
tied to memory, so I always strive for holiday cocktails
with great aromatics," she says.
Green also gravitates towards brandy, bitters and
bubbles. "They're warm, familiar and classic," she says.
The Seelbach alla Romagna ($15) is her take on the
classic sparkling-wine cocktail that was created at the
namesake Louisville, KY, hotel. Green's version replaces
bourbon with Vecchia Romagna brandy, and uses
Luxardo Triplum liqueur instead of Cointreau; it also
includes Peychaud's and Angostura bitters, topped with
Champagne and garnished with a lemon peel.
Osteria Morini's Vecchi Campi cocktail ($14) is
inspired by the Vieux Carré. It's made with mezcal,
Bénédictine, aged Irish whiskey and Bitter Truth
aromatic bitters, built in a rocks glass and garnished with
a fl amed orange peel.
Green is working on several Negroni variations using
glassware that is smoked with a cedar plank, evocative of
PHOTO
CREDIT
ANTHONY
JACKSON
Osteria Morini uses baking spices in holiday cocktails.
