MSA Pure Spirits 2018 Q2 - 28

The Tiger Flip
1½ ounce aged rum (like Angostura 7 year)
½ ounce orange liqueur (like Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)

28 PURE SPIRITS

½ ounce cinnamon syrup**
1 whole egg
And all ingredients in shaker, no ice, shake. Add ice to shaker
and shake a second time. Strain into a chilled glass. Garnish
with optional printed rice paper garnish on top.

**Cinnamon syrup
Bring water to a boil with cinnamon sticks. Boil for a few minutes. Strain while still warm, and add equal parts by weight
raw sugar to the cinnamon water. Stir together well. Do not
cook the sugar. Let cool and bottle. Keeps in the refrigerator
for up to 30 days.

PAUL FRADENECK, MABEL GRAY
How can a tiny 40-seat restaurant-a converted diner, at that-push the envelope on quality dining?
Restaurateur and chef James Rigato answered with
Mabel Gray. He named the restaurant after a Great
Lakes legend, perhaps even summoning the free-spirited protector of Lake Michigan dunes. To complement the locally focused, seasonable and sustainable
food menu, Rigato brought in Paul Fradeneck as bar
manager.
"James envisioned the bar as kind of an extension
of the kitchen but also of the dining room," Fradeneck
explains.
The explanation seems both figurative and literal.
In the small shotgun space, the customers sit either
at the banquette seating or at the 13-seat bar. On one
end, the dining area parallels the kitchen; on the other end, it parallels the bar. Given the narrow space,
the slender bar puts the bartender spatially closer to
the customer.
"James really wanted to encompass that neighborhood feel ... It's a beautiful walnut bar, but it has that
sitting-at-a-counter diner feel. We offer the full menu
experience at the bar, no reservation needed, which we
as a staff think is the most Mabel Gray experience."
As a bar manager, Fradeneck juggles space constraints with creativity. "We're trying to be seasonal
and craft cocktails that are creative, using freshsqueezed juice, house-made syrups, the best spirits-that's in line with the ethos of the restaurant.
The cooking style ... translates to what I do here at
the bar-not so many techniques or ingredients, but
well-balanced."
At the same time, he recognizes the power of reality over idealism, such as the limits of making everything in-house. "So many things that are readily
available are made so well, I'd rather purchase a good
product that I know is consistent than make it myself
... House-made everything isn't always the best."

COURTESY OF YANI MORAITIS FRYE

being a professional musician probably wouldn't
pay the bills. But he has
worked diligently and
creatively to make it a
career.
"Playing with all
the different liquids
and potions and pretending like I'm a wizard seemed like something I'd be into," Frye
says of his early decision. "Once I started, I
took cues from my father, who was an executive chef. I had a great
upbringing of always
trying new and unique
flavors and never really being allowed to say
'no' to anything unless
I'd tried it once."
He took the philosophies from his dad
Yani Frye
and transferred them
to the bar. "You can either be just your standard bartender or you can be something more." He chose the
more.
In addition to enjoying the magic, Frye says, "I enjoy talking with people and making different drinks."
Contrasting bartending to cooking, he says, "I love
being able to make a drink in less than a couple minutes and getting the immediate response: 'This is
great' or 'This is terrible, make it over.'"
When pushed to choose a favorite cocktail, Frye
chooses a classic daiquiri-a sour with rum, fresh
lime, simple syrup and a dash of bitters-shaken.
Of the spirits, he chooses rum. "I love rum because
there's a lot more variety. Regulations on rum and
rum distilling are looser than probably any other
spirit category."
Frye says, "I like to poke at the idea of good and
bad luck. If you begin the day convinced that you will
have bad luck, I'm convinced that you will bestow
upon yourself that negativity and bad luck ... You
make life what it is; you make the day what it is."
badluckbar.com

http://www.badluckbar.com

MSA Pure Spirits 2018 Q2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MSA Pure Spirits 2018 Q2