Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/133302
Erick Castro keeps most of his Cocktails on Tap recipes under lock and key, but THE TASTING PANEL got the inside scoop 's on this summertime sipper, the Hawaiian Sophie. Hawaiian Sophie ◗ 1½ oz. Flor de Caña 5 Year Old Rum ◗ ¾ oz. lemon juice ◗ ½ oz. Gran Clasico Bitter ◗ ½ oz. raspberry syrup ◗ 2 oz. Framboise ◗ Shake with ice pebbles and dump into a glass. Top with Frramboise. Garnish with berries and paper umbrella. PHOTO: LEIGH CASTELLI removed from gimmickry showmanship. For one thing, it does not dispense anything other than beverages that either need time or special chicanery to perfect, such as their tasty libation featuring Rittenhouse Rye infused with homemade pineapple soda. There is also no rigidly set rotation to the taps; if the allotted drink is tasty and the customers are interested, it will remain available. That's not to say everything about the program is transparent, mind you. "The only people that know the recipes for the drinks are me and Frankie, my head bartender," Castro says. While Castro has a lot of fun creating the program's clandestine concoctions, he is especially passionate about using his system in concert with the venue's own manufactured sodas to elevate highball drinks from their reputation as woebegone concoctions. "The problem with the typical highball is not the drinks themselves, but the ingredients that make them up," Castro explains. "Our system allows us to create delicious highballs featuring quality, homemade ingredients that can't be made anywhere else." So far, the Cocktail on Tap program has raised some pretty impressive eyebrows. Castro, Stanton and Tafazoli have received a crush of attention from mixologists in Europe as well as domestic cocktail hotbeds like New York City and San Francisco, all clamoring for information on how it works. "It's nice to see other people seeking us out," Stanton says. "It's been incredibly gratifying for us." More important, the community has embraced the system, and the building that houses it—thoroughly. For Consortium Holdings, this acceptance dovetails ideally into their desire to grow Polite Provisions as an "olde tyme" gathering center akin to neighborhood soda fountains from days of yore. "We want Polite Provisions to be a space that simply fosters communication without modern distraction," Tafazoli states. "We want to encourage people to have conversations without things like TVs getting in the way." Considering the acclaim and interest the group has gotten over the venue and its unique system, you don't need hindsight to see that their vision is 20/20. For more photos from our trip to Polite Provisions, visit our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/ TastingPanelMagazine Desiree Gomez, General Manager of Coyote Grill, holds a bottle of Casamigos Reposado Tequila. The Laguna Beach restaurant has been a big support of the brand since its launch. Coyote Pretty Coyote Grill is the type of place that personifies Laguna Beach, CA's legendary dichotomy as a beacon of luxury and a haven for understated relaxation—an unpretentious, family-owned Mexican cantina where guests can indulge in Baja fare. It was the perfect spot for Serralles USA to host Casamigos Tequila's inaugural SoCal Cinco de Mayo event. Okay, so the event was technically held on Quatro de Mayo, but nobody seemed to quibble. They were too busy enjoying the smooth, clean-tasting Casamingos Blanco and Reposado that were launched in January by lifelong friends Rande Gerber and George Clooney (yes, the George Clooney). "We love Casamigos because of its no-fuss nature, from the traditional, basic Mexican packaging to its reasonable price point, explains Desiree Gomez, " Coyote Grill's General Manager. "We also love it because it's delicious tequila. " And rest assured, the taste is why Coyote Grill's customers have fallen in love with the brand, and not because Clooney's name happens to be inconspicuously scrawled on the bottom corner of the label. If anything, the bottle has become a success story in spite of its printed starpower. —Rich Manning june 2013 / the tasting panel / 111 TP0613_080-119.indd 111 5/23/13 5:31 PM