Cheers

Cheers-Oct 2016

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.

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www.cheersonline.com 14 • October 2016 Seaman. To make them more approachable, producers make a liqueur with the base eau-de-vie but add a bit of juice and sugar. "These intensely fl avored fruit brandies are just delicious and very playful in cocktails," he notes. OLDIES BUT GOODIES A number of liqueurs have enjoyed a heyday, thanks to a vogue or a cocktail, such as Galliano in Harvey Wallbangers, only to fade into obscurity. Now some of these well-crafted old-timers are reappearing on backbars as "there are a number of liqueurs being pulled out of the archives," says Sadoian. "Some of those old liqueurs, I can still do without, but the ones that are still around are around for a reason," says Seaman. He cites Strega, Chartreuse, Benedictine and Drambuie as prime examples. "There just isn't anything like them." Johnson at 404 Kitchen agrees: "I am a huge fan of the oldies but goodies." Both green and yellow Chartreuse and Benedictine are favorites. And Strega has been a part of the bar program since the restaurant opened. Currently on the menu is the Strega-Rita ($13), made with Strega, a house-made, rosemary-lemon cordial and lime juice. "Since Strega is made with so many ingredients, you don't need much more for a complex cocktail," Johnson says. "And Strega by itself is wonderful." Sambuca is a surprising call at Sable Kitchen, and recently "I have witnessed a resurgence of amaretto," says Jones at Sable. "That kind of boggles my mind, but it is what it is." Amaretto, for example, is a key ingredient in a popular cocktail called the 6th and Sirene, made with gin, absinthe, amaretto, lemon and honey. "We've been making a lot more Amaretto Sours these days," notes head barkeep Bobby Kramer at Brickyard Downtown, a New American restaurant in Chandler, AZ. "And there are more calls for Rusty Nails. So I always have to keep Amaretto di Saronno and Drambuie on the backbar." Camp at Burlock Coast agrees that "Drambuie is making a comeback with the Rusty Nail, which is having its own resurgence." Thanks to the Blood & Sand cocktail, Cherry Heering is having a similar return to popularity. "I think people are digging deep looking for forgotten cocktails." The team at Burlock Coast also has created a riff on Southern Comfort; infusing apricots in Mellow Corn whiskey with a sous-vide process. The house-made liqueur appears in the Southernmost Comfort cocktail, which combines it with pineapple and lime juices, egg white and bitters—topped with a fl oat of Pepsi 1893. "We are going to start making our own coffee liqueur with rum soon," adds Camp. AFTER-DINNER DELIGHTS Although liqueurs are largely cocktail modifi ers, many guests still enjoy them straight up as an aperitif or on the rocks after dinner. Sable Kitchen's dessert menu offers 1-oz. pours of fortifi ed wines, amari, liqueurs and cordials. "That size gives everyone a chance to try something new and/or enjoy something familiar with a small pour that is suitable for after dinner," says Jones. Drinking liqueurs on the rocks or straight up is a European habit that hasn't taken off here, counters Smith. "People are looking for balance, and liqueurs are just too sweet for that." At the Hawthorne, customers sometimes call for cordials on the rocks. "It is usually the ones that are not too sweet, such as Benedictine, or Cognac-based orange liqueurs like Pierre Ferrand Dry Orange Curacao," says Sadoian. Finocchietto is a fennel liqueur, says Johnson, which is subtler than Pernod or absinthe. "It is delicious over ice after dinner." Guests still call for postprandial Kahlua and coffee or Baileys and coffee, and "there are always people who want Sambuca or Amaretto after dinner," says Kramer at Brickyard Downtown. "The only liqueur I would serve on its own is Chartreuse," he adds. "It's delicious, got a cool back story and almost sells itself." After-dinner drink choices haven't changed much at at 14 • October 2016 "WE'VE BEEN MAKING A LOT MORE Amaretto SOURS THESE DAYS." – Bobby Kramer head barkeep at Brickyard Downtown, a New American restaurant in Chandler, AZ. CORDIAL reception The 6th and Sirene at Chicago's Sable Kitchen, made with gin, absinthe, amaretto, lemon juice and honey. The Southernmost Comfort cocktail at Burlock Coast, with apricot-infused Mellow Corn whiskey, pineapple, lime, egg white and bitters.

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