Shattering the taboo against mixing high-end spirits, some bartenders are finding success with upscale cocktails made from artisanal and super-premium liquors. Seen as affordable luxuries, they send some customers reaching for their wallets, offering a rare bright spot amid the recessionary gloom.
"Actually, the economy is helping us," said Toby Maloney, head mixologist and partner of the Violet Hour, a high-end cocktail lounge in Chicago. "We're getting busier. People realize that instead of spending $200 or $300 on a big dinner with wine, they can spend a quarter of that on cocktails and still have a romantic night out."
"People might split an entrée for dinner, but they still indulge themselves at cocktail hour," noted Jackson Cannon, bar manager of Eastern Standard in Boston. The bustling bistro has a list of classic and creative cocktails, like the Whiskey Smash, made with bourbon, sweet lemon and mint, $10, and the Frisco, which includes rye whiskey, Benedictine liqueur and lemon, $9.
Fine whiskeys, brandies, eaux-de-vie and other luxury-scale liquors "are purchased for more than just sipping" and increasingly are used in signature cocktails today, reported the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, a trade association. Further testimony comes from the National Restaurant Association's recent What's Hot survey, which ranked micro-distilled/artisan liquor in 10th place on its Top 20 list of food and beverage trends for 2009.
The explanation, bar professionals agree, is that America finally is shaking off the vestiges of Prohibition. "The cocktail recipes of that era were made to mask inferior-quality liquor," said Cannon, noting that the use of sweet, fruity mixers has persisted for decades since Repeal.
In contrast, Cannon and like-minded bar craftsmen favor "spirit-on-spirit cocktails," in his words, that showcase the refinement of fine distillates. "It's very unforgiving to mix spirits just with bitters and a little vermouth," he said. "That's where luxury brands have their real value, beyond cachet."
At the Violet Hour, Maloney "builds platforms where the alcohol can shine," he said. For example, he spikes a Hot Toddy with a boutique French Cognac and Lagavulin 16 Year Old single-malt Scotch whisky. He also features the Poire Blinker, a libation in which an artisan pear brandy from Oregon stars with grapefruit. Each of those drinks is priced at $12. "Our drinks taste like the alcohol," said Maloney. "We're trying to show off its characteristics, not cover them up."
With artisanal distilleries blossoming across the continent — the American Distilling Institute in San Francisco reports there are now 165 craft distilleries in the United States and Canada — mixologists have an expanding palette. "It's phenomenal," said Maloney. "We need the new and interesting products they create to ply our trade."
"It's fun to reach for an Allspice Dram or a great eau-de-vie to use in a drink," said Charles Joly, head mixologist of the Drawing Room, a high-end cocktail bar in Chicago in the seven-unit Three Headed Productions group. "They can add a nice little twist, another layer or a secondary note to a cocktail."
Because the flavors of high-end spirits tend to be intense, an operator often uses less in a drink, offsetting otherwise relatively high prices. "For the Allspice Dram, I use no more than an eighth of an ounce because it's so concentrated," said Joly.
At the Violet Hour, Maloney adds the pungently smoky and peaty Lagavulin 16 Year Old single malt to the Hot Toddy with an eyedropper. "It's the tiniest whisper of Lagavulin, because if you added even a quarter of an ounce, that would be all you would taste," said Maloney.
With artisanal distillers booming and farmers markets that provide fresh, seasonal produce sprouting, some operators now have a chance to feature cocktails made almost entirely from local ingredients at least part of the year. So said Scott Beattie, author of the book entitled "Artisanal Cocktails" and former bar manager of Cyrus Restaurant in Healdsburg, Calif. One of Beattie's favorites from the restaurant is the Bloody Orange, a mixture of Charbay Blood Orange and Meyer Lemon vodkas, from a Bay Area artisan distillery, with local citrus juices.
Artisanal cocktails shouldn't only be for upscale operators, the barkeeps agree. Maloney suggests shopping for bargains if super-premium spirits are too pricey. "You can get phenomenal rums and rye whiskeys for a fraction of the price of bourbons and Scotches, because not as many people are looking for them," said Maloney.
Cannon suggests that casual bars and restaurants could benefit from trying a few artisanal cocktails. "My advice to chain operators is to offer some," he said. "Even if overall sales go down, you might see your bar sales go up."