FIRST SIP ® September 2011 Vol. 23 No. 7
Garden in My Cocktail W
Waiter: Th ere's a
hile herbs can add balance to a dish—or a drink—I wonder if their use has recently gone a bit overboard.
It was novel, and exciting, when mixologists started using some garden greens to tweak their drinks. Th e movement probably reached its apex when Scott Beattie created the bar program for Cyrus in Healdsburg, California. He often had half a window box of produce in some drinks and even created, arguably, the world's best- designed straw (which was made of metal to not heat the drink and had a fork-like tip to pick the produce out of the glass). Francesco LaFranconi of Southern Wine
& Spirits followed suit when he created a savory tomato drink at Tales of the Cocktail a couple of years ago that showed how well judiciously paired herbs, fruits and vegetables can contribute to a drink. However, this year at Tales, at home in San Francisco and on the road everywhere in between I am questioning if bartenders have gone too far. I had a rosemary-garnished drink at Tales that was bitter and overwhelmingly aromatic. While I love to roast lamb with rosemary, the fl avor from an entire stalk may be too much for a drink. Th e trend is similar to many bar chefs' over-indulgence in the use of "house-made"
bitters. It was exciting when Audrey Saunders put a quartet of bitters on her bar when she opened Pegu Club in New York in 2005. However, the over-the-top use of every form of bitters prompted one bartender to comment in a recent Cheers round table that he only hires bartenders who don't make their own bitters. So how long is a trend valid and worth taking inspiration from? Perhaps the bar business
might learn something from the cycles that the food world has been through. Continental became Mediterranean became spa food became molecular dining. Many chefs—and bartenders—have gleaned ideas from all these epochs in dining, but seasoned chefs may have a better sense of when enough is enough. Th ey have held the limelight longer historically and had the patronage of more consumers (as not everyone drinks). It's just a little food for thought. I welcome your feedback on this issue.
Cheers!
Liza B. Zimmerman Editor-in-Chief
Executive Vice President, Group Publisher Charles Forman Tel (845) 426-6072
cforman@m2media360.com Editor-in-Chief
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CRISTINA TACCONE
