Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/628173
On-Premise with Los Amantes Mezcal at Tanner Smith's, New York City Irish-born Kevin Doherty's passion for mixology began five years ago while he was working at The Exchequer in Dublin, where he obtained "a key under- standing of classic drinks" and was also introduced to experimental cocktails. After being part of the team that won Best Cocktail Experience two years run- ning at the Irish Restaurant Awards, he then moved into a sales and marketing role in the whiskey industry, which eventually brought him to the States. In February of 2015 he helped open Tanner Smith's, a Midtown Manhattan tavern with an "early 20th century drinking house" feel. "Here we got to build the team and bar from scratch, which was an exciting new opportunity," says the 26-year-old mixologist. "At Tanner Smiths our cocktail program ethos is to be approachable but different, with an emphasis on experience, introducing our clientele to something new or unusual," Doherty reports. While the Donegal native is a huge fan of The Irishman ("It's fantastic," he says of Palm Bay's Irish whiskey brand), he also appreciates the importer's Los Amantes Mezcal—a category that his clientele is calling for more and more often. "I see mezcal as the next new thing," says Doherty. "Five years ago it was gin—now it's mezcal." He created his South of the Border cocktail as a combination of three differ- ent drinks—the Swizzle, the Dark n' Stormy and the Margarita—taking ideas from each to find the perfect balance. "Our clientele needs some familiarity to be able to approach a new drink," Doherty explains. "We give our customers the opportunity to try something new, while also finding similarities to some of their favorite classics." The South of the Border should fit the bill. As Doherty puts it, "This is an easy-to-drink, any-time-of-year cocktail—most people don't stop at one." PHOTO: EVAN SUNG PHOTO: EVAN SUNG South of the Border ◗ 2 oz. Los Amantes Mezcal ◗ ¾ oz. freshly squeezed lime juice ◗ 1 bar spoon lemon preserve (or jam) ◗ 2 oz. Furnace Spiced Hard Cider (a hard cider spiced with cayenne, ginger and lemon, from Upstate New York) ◗ Angostura bitters ◗ Mint (garnish) ◗ Dehydrated limes (garnish) Half-fill a mixing glass with crushed ice. Add lemon preserve, lime juice and Los Amantes Mezcal. Combine the ingredients using a real swizzle stick* taking special care to make sure that the lemon preserve has been evenly distributed, then add spiced hard cider. Top with crushed ice and garnish with bitters, mint and dehydrated limes. *A stick from a tree native to the Caribbean, Quararibea turbinata, but known to locals as the swizzle stick tree. The six-inch sticks have small prongs sticking out at the end, like the spokes of a wheel without the rim, and are used as a natural, manually operated Mixmaster. Kevin Doherty is Mixologist at Tanner Smith's in New York City. 92 / the tasting panel / january-february 2016