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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/725097
www.cheersonline.com 25 September 2016 • The cocktails selected for the pairings are all low proof, using wine, fortifi ed products, beer or cider as a base. The drinks, which are about half the size of a standard cocktail and priced from $5 to $8, are meant to be almost a garnish to the accompanying dishes. Low-alcohol cocktails are ideal for this purpose, because they don't overshadow the food, and guests can enjoy multiple drinks with dinner without getting inebriated, says Reed. HOME BASE The choice for the base of a low-alcohol cocktail is a key consideration, say operators. Fortifi ed wines such as sherry and port are traditional, while many bartenders are experimenting with soju and sake. Aperitif wines and amari pack a fl avorful punch, making them a good foundation. A number of producers are now marketing wine bases fl avored to taste like tequila or rum, especially designed for low- alcohol cocktails. "The biggest challenge is keeping interesting products in the mix," says Reed. Luckily, she notes, there has been an infl ux of new styles of vermouths and other aperitif wines. "As a wine person, I also utilize various late-harvest wines and sparkling wines that most bartenders don't think to use in cocktails," Reed adds. At Oceana, McLaughlin is experimenting with tea- based, low-alcohol cocktails. "I get some drink ideas from my pastry chef about using fresh seasonal fruit," says the bar manager. One idea is strawberry rhubarb with a tea base; he also thinks jasmine tea would pair well with the right amaro. At Jeninni Kitchen + Wine Bar, Saleh uses port, sherry, aperitifs and beer as bases. "But people still want the fl avors of gin, rum and whiskey in cocktails," he found. For those, Saleh uses a brand of soju that comes in "tequila" and "rum" fl avors. For "gin" he infuses straight soju with juniper berries and other herbs. To offer whiskey drinks such as a faux Manhattan, Saleh ages soju in a 20-liter used whiskey barrel. After a few months in cask, the soju acquires many of the Jeninni Kitchen + Wine Bar in Pacifi c Grove, CA, serves low-alcohol cocktails because it has a license for beer and wine only. whiskey's fl avors. The end result is impressive, Saleh says, and the sight of the barrel on the bar intrigues customers. "With all of those bases, the sky is the limit—we can offer all the classics." TIPS AND TECHNIQUES With standard cocktails, high-proof spirits help deliver the fl avors of the drink—and mask any defi ciencies. So developing low-alcohol versions has its challenges. "Creating a cocktail that appeals to everyone is already diffi cult, but creating one with low-alcohol—and making it taste great—can take some outside-the-box thinking," notes McLaughlin at Oceana. "Keep it simple for the most part," he advises. Best at Ticonderoga Club offers two tips: Start with no more than two low-ABV products and fi nd a balance between them before modifying with other ingredients. Use sweetness and syrups as you would bitters in a standard cocktail, he says. Start dry and add sparingly; too much will throw the drink off balance. "Sweet is the salt and pepper that pulls all the ingredients together," Best adds. "Balance is key to cocktails, and that can be harder to achieve when working with ingredients that have less alcohol, since they are often too sweet," observes Reed. "You need acid to balance your modifi ers, and creating acid in non-citrus drinks is one of the biggest challenges." To pump up acidity, she often uses tart ingredients such as verjus or acid phosphate. "It's just a matter of learning a different language, a different way of working with cocktail ingredients," says Lancha. He often uses syrups macerated with fruits for sweetness and vinegars for acidity. To create Spritz variations at Rue, Lewis changes up the classic formula: a base of fortifi ed wine, plus citrus and some kind of aperitif, topped with either soda water or sparkling wine. This allows for a wide range of creativity. Saleh uses house-made shrubs to add fruit fl avor, sweetness and acidity. "I like to work with bitters too, because they offer dimension and complexity, and magnify specifi c fl avors in drinks." Pay close attention to the use of ice, he advises; don't dilute the drink. Saleh's tip: Chill all ingredients before mixing and serve in well- iced glassware. Jeninni uses all vintage glasses that Saleh purchased on eBay; each drink is served in a different type. "The sexy glasses elevate the drinking experience," he says. SPRITZY AFFAIRS Club Ticonderoga recently organized a promotional event around a low-alcohol cocktail. The anchor for that was a book-release party for Spritz: Italy's Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail, with Recipes, authored by Talia Baiocchi, and Leslie Pariseau. "That generated a huge amount of interest and a lot of folks came out for the party," says Best. He and his team created six Spritzes for the occasion, one of which was added to the menu. Two new Spritz variations will debut in the fall; one with Banyuls dessert wine as a base. Best believes that the presence of low-alcohol cocktails on menus will increase. "We are looking forward to more progress in this landscape," he says. "It is the last area in the spirits catalog to be explored." Thomas Henry Strenk is Brooklyn-based writer specializing in all things drinkable.