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: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/41359
vodka-based NaCl'y Dawg plays off the Salty Dog (NaCl is the symbol for salt on the Periodic Table), but with sphereifi ed blood orange "caviar" and nitrous oxide-charged foam of pink grapefruit. To add more fi reworks, the glass is rimmed with a mixture of salt and Limon Pop Rocks candy. Th e science experiment grabbed the fi rst place prize. Th e cocktail gained such exposure for the hotel that it's going onto the cocktail list of six to 10 cocktails priced $8 to $9. "Th e bartenders aren't terribly excited at the idea of executing the NaCl'y Dawg on a busy night," jokes Klein. "But it's not that diffi cult." Training on the consistent execution of drink garniture, of course, is critical to customer satisfaction and repeat business. "We train our staff to recognize the importance of the garnish and presentation," says Ortiz at Real Mex. At the National Hotel Bar, Rowe creates a manual detailing all the cocktails on the list so that bartenders will all be in synch and serve consistently mixed and garnished drinks. "When the new menus debut at Anvil, we make all the drinks in front of the entire staff so that they know how they are supposed to taste and look, including the garnish," explains Frankel. Experience matters too. "Th e people we hire are not just The NaCl'y Dawg plays off the Salty Dog (NaCl is the symbol for salt on the Periodic Table) using sphereifi ed blood orange "caviar" and nitrous oxide-charged foam of pink grapefruit. drink pourers. Because these drinks are not just putting a lot of stuff in a shaker and then dumping it into a glass," points out Schulz at Bridge Bar. He works extensively with bartenders on new garnish techniques. "Th ere is training behind every aspect of our cocktails." MOVING FORWARD All the activity and creativity in garnishes begs the question: a slight upcharge. Customer satisfaction is important too. "Th e overall experience of the drink, garnish included, brings value to the table," says Ortiz at Real Mex. DESIGN PRINCIPLES With all the excitement surrounding garnishes, it's easy to lose sight of what's important: the drink and customer satisfaction. "Garnishes should never be arbitrary," cautions Rowe. "Th ere should be a clear kinship with the cocktail fl avors, a complement or contrast. Every drink has a story and the garnish just adds to that story." Agrees Frankel at Anvil Bar, "You must have a reason for the garnish. If it's just to look pretty or for show, that's not good enough. It must work with the drink as a whole." "Garnishes have to fi t in with the ingredients of the cocktails, and not be too out there," recommends Josh Klein, director of mixology at Bar M and M's Restaurant in the 84-room, 11-suite and 12-condominium Hotel Madeline Telluride and its sister property the 32-suite Inn at Lost Creek in Telluride, Colo. Th at said, Klein and his team came up with an "out there" drink with elements of molecular gastronomy. Created for "Th e Science of Cocktails," a recent cocktail competition between seven of Telluride's top restaurants, the 38 | SEPTEMBER 2011 Is this just a fad or a solid trend? And is it merely an urban phenomenon or spreading throughout the country? "Th e creative garnish trend started in places like New York and San Francisco, but now it's popping up in second- and third-tier cities," argues Frankel. He thinks the trend still has a ways to go before it runs its course. "Slowly but surely the whole cocktail trend, including creative garnishes, is making its way out of the major cities, making its way here," says Rowe, whose bar is in a small town about 75 miles from New York City. "Cocktails appeal to the young professionals, the people who watch the Food Network," he observes. "Th ey are more willing to step out of their comfort zone and try something new." "We're starting to see more creativity going into the glass in small towns outside the big cities," believes bar chef Schulz. "Like fashion or food, it takes a while to get to everyone in America, a trickle-down eff ect." He thinks that the creative garnish trend has legs because it's a good showcase for creativity and talent behind the bar. "But like everything else in the restaurant business, it goes in cycles." Th omas Henry Strenk is a Brooklyn-based freelancer who writes about all things drinkable. www.cheersonline.com