Spirit Magazine - December 2013 - (Page 76)

courtyard. You can't blame the young native of Bloomington, Indiana, for wanting to get to work serving his friends and fans. He moved to New Orleans in 2008, when, admittedly, his cocktail knowledge covered the fact that "there are certain drinks you're supposed to stir and certain drinks you're supposed to shake." He began working at Cure, a bar that, after opening in 2009, introduced many a New Orleanian to bitters and Italian spirits and soon became a forerunner in the city's modern cocktail boom. Detrich caught on quickly, progressing from the technical side of drink-making to blindtasting spirits, while always following his nose, and affection, for rum. After two years behind the bar, he endeavored to open his own joint, a straight-up tiki bar- 76 SPIRIT DECEMBER 2013 one of those rum-heavy, South Pacific-themed lounges with names like Don the Beachcomber and Tonga Room that were popular in the 1930s and -40s and have been enjoying a recent revival. Detrich envisioned a one-room watering hole-in-the-wall, where a single bartender, armed with just an ice shaver and a blender, could serve "old men guzzling down Kupa Kais and scorpion bowls." But the Cure empire expanded, opening Bellocq, a stylishly current bar that specializes in cobblers, a decidedly antiquarian mix of a base spirit (usually a fortified wine or digestif liqueur) with fruit, sugar, and a heap of crushed ice. Detrich decided to partner with his bosses and to scratch an itch to dive even deeper into the past. "I started looking at rum's influence in the spice trade routes, and the history and development with sailors and merchant marine culture for Her Majesty's Royal Navy-looking at what there was before there were cocktails," he explains. The spirit at the core of these maritime yesteryears was, of course, rum.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spirit Magazine - December 2013

Spirit Magazine - December 2013
Contents
Gary's Greeting
Gary's Greeting en Español
Star of the Month
Freedom Story
From the Editor
Your Worlds
Your Pictures
Media Center
Spice up your drink repertoire
Eat Drink Sleep
Cook with chickpeas
Stay Overnight in Nashville
The Numbers
Make a Case for Paper Maps
Look out for Bigfoot
Plan Interplanetary Trek
Wise Guide
Co-opt Criticism
Business
Meet your New Favourite Travel Buddy
Provoke Productivity
Tales of a Tippling City
Rediscover Sin City
The Other Side of Vegas
Your Adventure In Albuquerque
Promotional Series: Spirit of Florida
Focus On: Health Resolutions
Calendar
Fun!
Spotlight
Community Outreach
Products & Services
Flight Services
Terminal Maps
Information
Rapid Rewards and A+ Rewards Partners
Route Map
The "If" List

Spirit Magazine - December 2013