Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/164544
TALES OF THE COCKTAIL Rusty Lovell: A Southern Gent W If you look closely at his right wrist, you'll see the bowler hat tattoo Houston's Rusty Lovell got in commemoration of his win at the Broker's Bowler Cup. The Random Customer ◗ 2 oz. Broker's Gin ◗ ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice ◗ ¾ oz. orgeat ◗ 3 slices of cucumber ◗ 1 slice jalapeño ◗ 4–5 mint leaves ◗ Muddle cucumber, jalapeño and mint; shake and hawthorne-strain over crushed ice into a small shaker tin. Garnish with jalapeño coin, mint sprig and a dash of cayenne pepper. hen Rusty Lovell, Head Bartender at Houston's Prohibition found out he'd won the Broker's Bowler Cup in the Southern region, his first stop (after a hearty celebration with friends, of course) was at a tattoo shop. "I went directly to my tattoo artist and told him I wanted a bowler hat," he says, proudly displaying the neon bowler on his wrist as he shakes up his winning drink, The Random Customer, a recipe named in honor of—you guessed it!—a random customer. "I had a guest come in and tell me they'd had a drink in Vegas made with Hendrick's Gin, jalapeño, St-Germain and lemon juice," he recalled. "The guy was in love with this cocktail, and I wasn't too into it, but I thought there was something there, so I began to tweak it. I threw out the St-Germain and added Broker's, which I like because it's a great dry gin. It's easy to work with and has a lot of spiced floral and nuanced notes." Lovell's determination to turn this basic recipe into a cocktail he loves is demonstrative of his progression as a craft cocktailian. "I was a club bartender for 11 years," comments Rusty. "I was used to pumping out drinks instead of crafting a drink. At first, I was a little rocky in getting into craft mixology, but I've worked hard and learned a lot." Lovell credits Prohibition's GM Blake Jorgensen as a mentor along this path, saying, "He's done it all and is very knowledgeable. His guidance into this world of craft cocktails has really helped develop my skills." Lovell, a Louisiana native, was thrilled to be back on his home turf to flex his mixology muscles: "I've been to New Orleans many times, and it was an amazing experience to have close to 40,000 other bartenders and spirits people in the same town. Being featured in the tasting room was kinda bragging rights for me—I think I puffed my chest out a little bit, and it was awesome seeing people that I invited, people from Houston, to come see me. It made me really happy, and I felt like these were the beginning steps for me." After returning home, Lovell had a whole new perspective, post-Tales. "It was very strange to be back at work after Tales," he admits. "I walked in with a whole different attitude. It was time to put my head down and go after my goals. It's great to feel like I'm on the verge of making something great happen." We'll toast to that—and the random customer, wherever he may be! 114 / the tasting panel / september 2013 TP0913_104-156.indd 114 8/22/13 10:31 PM