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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/580366
www.cheersonline.com 17 October 2015 • www.cheersonline.com C ordials and liqueurs have long been defi ned by a sweet fl avor profi le, from coffee, chocolate and cream to fruit, nuts and mint. But as spirits, cocktails and consumers have become more experimental and tastes have evolved, spicy and more savory liqueurs have taken off. "I see a change in the fl avor profi le in cordials and liqueurs to meet the modern- day palate," says Barnard McNamee, who with Andrew Schulman is managing partner at Tanner Smiths, an open-style cocktail venue in New York. He notes an increase in the use of spicy spirits, such as Ancho Reyes, an ancho chile liqueur from Mexico that launched last year. The Winchester, an 80-seat seasonal- cuisine restaurant in Chicago, uses Ancho Reyes in its Skippin' Town cocktail ($10), along with mezcal, Cocchi Americano, lemon juice and pineapple gum syrup and a Luxardo cherry garnish. "People [often] associate a liqueur with something sweet and one dimensional," notes co-owner Chris Pappas. "Once you really get into liqueurs, you realize that they range in complexity and fl avor." Other spicy liqueurs that have recently hit shelves include Patron's XO Café Incendio chocolate chili liqueur, Beam's Kentucky Fire, Jack Daniels Tennessee Fire and Wild Turkey's American Honey Sting. Pappas has also made his own various chili and spice liqueurs along with clove, cherry and hibiscus cordials. The latter two ingredients go into the Matador cocktail ($10), along with El Jimador tequila, agave, lime and Q pink grapefruit soda. KITCH IS COOL Products such as Ancho Reyes and Hum Botanical Spirit (rum infused with hibiscus, ginger, green cardamom and kaffi r lime) were created by "bartenders who saw a need in the market and brought new brands to life," says Cameron Bogue, beverage director for Earls Restaurants, a casual chain of 65 UNIQUE FLAVOR PROFILES ARE SPICING UP THE CORDIALS CATEGORY By Kelly A. Magyarics The Last Frontier cock- tail at The Riggsby in Washington, D.C., mixes bourbon with lemon, cinnamon and amaretto. The Footloose cocktail at Tanner Smith's in New York includes vodka, house-made cucumber syrup, elderfl ower liqueur, celery bitters, fresh lime juice, fresh basil and black pepper. The Winchester restaurant in Chicago uses chile liqueur in its Skippin' Town cocktail, along with mezcal, Cocchi Americano, lemon juice, pineapple gum syrup and a Luxardo cherry garnish. PHOTO CREDIT: SCOTT SUCHMAN