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Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/524520
www.cheersonline.com 39 June 2015 • Jim Morrison spiked fl oat, with Jagermeister and root beer topped with two scoops of ice cream. The biggest logistical concerns with boozy shakes, according to Riveros, are setting up the spindle milkshake maker, and getting bartenders to switch gears on Mondays from shaking and stirring to scooping and blending. "Seems simple, but getting a perfect milkshake does take practice," he says. Borgata Baking Co.'s Shultz believes that the biggest challenge with this type of cocktail is consistency. Ongoing staff training assures that each "Sip with a Kick" tastes as good as the last one. SLUSH FUN Soda & Swine in San Diego offers thick and foamy beer fl oats blended with house-made, slow-churned Angostura ice cream, as well as several Champagne Slushies priced at $6. One is the Pom Royale, with dry vermouth, lemon, grenadine and Champagne (see recipe at top right). All 26 of the cocktails at Fairweather, a 150-seat cocktail bar in San Diego, can be served blended and frozen, from Tiki tipples to creamy boozy shakes. Popular choices on the menu include a Thin Mint Mojito ($11) with cacao-infused rum, and the Gunship ($11), which blends bourbon, Stolen coffee- and tobacco-infused rum, amaretto and coffee liqueur. Fairweather's overarching aim, however, was to create the ultimate Piña Colada ($11). "Fairweather is a tropical rooftop bar, and we had to achieve this goal," says Anthony Schmidt, beverage director for parent company CH Projects. He discovered that the slushie machine rendered a luxurious texture that was far superior to that of the blender; an added bonus is that it speeds things up during busy times. But perhaps the biggest appeal of this pineapple and coconut guest favorite—the bar's bestseller—is the nostalgia factor. "It appeals to our childhood," Schmidt notes. "The slush texture reminds us of something we would've begged our parents to let us drink on a hot summer day." Kelly Magyarics, DWS, is a wine, spirits and lifestyle writer and wine educator based in the Washington, D.C. area. She can be reached at her website, www.kellymagyarics.com, or on Twitter or Instagram @kmagyarics. Tavern Road's Street Cocktail Cred A pop-up menu of street food was the impetus for some creamy "street cocktails" on the menu at Tavern Road, a 120-seat casual restaurant in Boston. "I wanted to give my bartenders a chance to get back to basics and be creative by taking simple cocktails and making them a little more modern and fi ne-tuned," explains Ryan McGrale. The beverage director has two exotic elixirs on the drinks menu, and the bar sells 20 to 30 of them each weeknight, with the number doubling on weekends. The Lassi ($12) is a play on the traditional yogurt-based Indian and Pakistani drink, with Old Monk rum, mango, yogurt, honey, lime juice and coconut. The Batida ($12) is Brazil's other national cocktail after the Caipirinha; McGrale's version blends Pierre Ferrand Cognac with coconut liqueur, coconut cream and crème de cacao. McGrale travels to Brazil every year, and sees these drinks as a way of pushing the envelope and trying something new. "Unless you have had either of these drinks at a restaurant of that culture or even been to the country of origin, it's something you won't often see on a menu of a 'cocktail' or 'mixology' bar," he says. —KAM Pom Royale 2 oz. Dry vermouth 3 oz. Champagne ¾ oz. Lemon ¾ oz. Grenadine ¾ oz. Water Put all ingredients into a blender (or slushie machine if available) and serve once it's icy cold. Erick Castro, general manager/partner of Polite Provisions and Soda & Swine in San Diego, created this recipe. San Diego cocktail bar Fairweather has found that its slushie machine renders a more luxurious texture than a blender for its signature Piña Colada.