Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/133302
Stepping PTS NCE CO GREAT Right Up SNAKE OIL COCKTAIL COMPANY'S CONSULTING PROWESS IS A GOOD SHOW by Rich Manning / photos by Leigh Castelli S nake Oil Cocktail Company does not operate from the back of a rickety wagon. Its associates do not wear top hats and tails, nor do they claim to sell magic elixirs that will cure baldness. What the San Diego–based cocktail consulting firm does possess is a sterling reputation built on a philosophy that may have been deemed too sensational to be true a decade ago. "We have always placed more of an emphasis on the culinary aspects of a cocktail and not liquors," explains Snake Oil co-founder Michael Esposito. "We saw that chefs were getting super crafty with food through fresh ingredients and relationships with local farms, and we wanted to follow that same approach." Since the company launched in 2009, this food-centric mindset has been powerful enough to charm some pretty select clientele, including Yankee Stadium, the Michael Esposito, Snake Oil Cocktail Company's co-founder, and Frankie Thaheld, the company's Director of Culinary Mixology. 68 / the tasting panel / june 2013 TP0613_042-79.indd 68 5/23/13 4:33 PM