US Airways - June 2013 - (Page 20)

Wine & Dine 20 june 2013 usairwaysmag.com Bacon in general is a Big thing in the south, so it Works out pretty Well for us. —Joshua streetman, bartender at motor supply company Bistro with commercial vodka. The trend of house-infused spirits is part of the growing desire among consumers for authenticity in food and drink: an interest in where that steak, that broccolini, or that cocktail comes from, and how its taste is like no other. To this end the modern bartender is engaging customers in a conversation about what they want to drink, what they like. You can’t imagine Lou Grant, much less Archie Bunker, discussing a fig-infused cocktail with his bartender. But today’s hipster web designer? Certainly. Fig-infused cocktail? Oh, yes! It’s the creation of Gonzolo Marin of Barraca, Macondo, and Rayuela in New York City, and it’s delicious. Marin confirms the trend. “Over the last ten years, consumers have educated themselves so much,” he says. “It’s not like years ago when they used to go to a bar and ask for a cosmo or a margarita. Now they know. They see a cocktail list and they see that whoever made the list is putting work into it, offering something different and interesting, and they want to try it. They know better now.” Today’s bartenders have the inven- tive enthusiasm of a great chef, constantly musing on new ways to combine flavors. After all, why should the chef be the only one to play with rosemary or tamarind? Of course, preparing these infusions and crafting these unique cocktails is time-consuming and expensive. But there’s a subtle payoff beyond commanding premium prices. Houseinfused spirits differentiate a bar from its competition and enhance its image as a purveyor of something special. And you can’t get more special than a bacon-infused Bloody Mary to set off a Sunday brunch. Nick Passmore is a contributing editor. His website is nickonwine.com. 7 sweet recipes The Dos Lunas Watermelon Margarita A Nick Passmore creation The iNfusioN: infuse 8 oz. cubed watermelon in 12 oz. dos lunas silver tequila for 1 week. The cockTAil: 3 oz. infused tequila juice from one half lime 2 tsp. Grand Marnier shake ingredients well with ice. rim glass with lime and then salt. add fresh ice to glass and pour margarita over them. photos (from top) courtesy of motor supply company Bistro and By Zuma Wire service/alamy customers. “From that it began to evolve as we thought, ‘What other kinds of spirits can we use? What other kinds of things can we do to make interesting cocktails?’ ” Streetman says. They moved into fruit-based infusions like gin with grapefruit and thyme served as a highball, hibiscus in tequila, and a strawberry-vodka lemonade. And, of course, these dramatic glass jars attract questions and give the bartenders an opportunity to talk about the infusions, which can lead to even more ideas. A side of bacon marinating in a six-liter jar of alcohol might look like something you’d encounter in a pathologist’s lab. But three different colors of sliced peppers in tequila at A Voce in New York City is far prettier, and perhaps a little less off-putting to those New Yorkers not quite so enamored of things porcine as the residents of Columbia. The infused tequila is the central ingredient in A Voce’s most popular cocktail, the Margarita in Fuoco, and I’ve never tasted a drink like it, so bursting with the flavor of fresh peppers. Their other signature cocktail, the Tartufo Speciale (the Truffle Special), is even more ambitious. Its base is a ten-year-old bourbon infused with black truffle served in a martini glass rimmed with truffle honey. The magic of these drinks is the aftertaste, which lingers on the palate like a fine red wine. But infusions aren’t really meant to be consumed straight. George Costa of Pub & Kitchen in Philadelphia infuses spirits in order to “add a little more depth to cocktails, to add flavors that you can’t find in a bar spirit,” he says. His Peachy Keen Collins (see the recipe on page 22) makes his point. I found this out for myself when I macerated two cups of strawberries in half a liter of vodka for several days, and the result was not that interesting. But when I used the infused vodka in a cocktail, the drink sang with a vibrant freshness that’s impossible to achieve http://www.nickonwine.com http://www.usairwaysmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - June 2013

US Airways - June 2013
Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Best Outdoor Music Venues
Hub Crawl: Los Angeles International Airport
Wine & Dine: Infused Spirits
Great Tastes: B.B. King's Blues Clubs
Diversions: Beer Gardens
Great Escapes: Hard Rock Hotels
Great Escapes: Universal Orlando Resort
Diversions: Seven Super Spas
Adventure: Sebasco Harbor Resort, Maine
Golf: Billy Casper
Gear Up: Family Games
Travel Feature: The Lure of the Lake
US Airways: All in the Family
Chefs Tell: Sea Fire Grill
Charlotte, NC
Special Section: Los Angeles Arts
Must Read: Color Blind
Great Dates
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - June 2013

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