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 29 October 2016 • SCENE becue vinegar jus, and farm-raised duck breast ($34) with roasted cauliflower, arugula and walnut pesto. OLD AND NEW STYLES The cocktail selection boasts an array of classics such as the Boulevardier, Brown Derby, Sidecar and Last Word, among others. Spoke & Steele also focuses on taking pop- ular spirits and finding new ways to combine them with trending ingredients. The menu changes throughout the year, but at press time cocktails included Justin's World Traveler (Rittenhouse rye, creme de cassis, Pisa nut liqueur, Gran Classico, lem- on) and Cannot Even (chai-infused rye, vanilla syrup, half and half, Scrappy's chocolate bitters, Angostura bitters). But the current hit is the Le Mans Rough Rider, priced at $13 and made with Rough Rider bourbon, house-made allspice dram, bacon syrup, port, cinnamon, smoked pa- prika and apple bitters. "The flavors have a savory quality that work with the bourbon and rye together," Schroder says. "We can't take it off the menu because people like it so much." STAFF SELECTIONS When changing the drinks menu, the bartenders develop their own recipes, present them together and then vote to select the final candidates. Often they come from the latest releases that staffers find compelling. That might explain the recent plethora of ryes on Spoke & Steele's list. "It feels like we tend to go with what we are drinking at the time, and then making cocktails out of them," Schroder says. There are also the rotating draft cocktails; in late summer, the menu included two whiskey-based variants: the Chocolate Manhattan and the Perfect Blackberry Manhattan. The Chocolate Manhattan adds vanilla simple syrup and chocolate bitters to the basic recipe, making it des- sert-like. The Perfect Blackberry incorporates creme de cassis with the dry and sweet vermouths and whiskey. Indianapolis hasn't gone totally new-fangled, howev- er: The house Old-Fashioned is the most popular classic cocktail on Spoke & Steele's menu. Signature items on the Spoke & Steele food menu include its famous "nugs,"above right, which are specialty meatloaf balls with a sweet chili glaze, Fresno chili, cheese curds and fat chips. PHOTO CREDIT: SPOKE & STEELE/AUDRA STERNBERG PHOTOGRAPHY Spoke & Steele offers a sophisticated private room inspired by actor Steve McQueen—an Indiana native. The Le Mans Rough Rider cocktail, made with Rough Rider bourbon, house-made allspice dram, bacon syrup, port, cinnamon, smoked paprika and apple bitters, is a fan favorite.

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