Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/948966
march 2018 / the tasting panel / 97 BIG BAR, Los Angeles, CA For Los Angeles bar guru Cari Hah, Manager at Big Bar in Los Feliz, the Jack Daniel's project fell right in line with her collaborative approach to research and design. "I love col- laboration, and in a lot of ways it's what we do on all of our menus," she adds. Hah and her collaborators Selene Martinez and Eugene Lee first zeroed in on their base spirit—Jack Daniel's Rye—and its lingering banana notes. Despite encountering some minor hurdles with their original concept, they suddenly thought "to use chocolate and banana in a fizz," Hah says. After some tweaking for balance, the Monkey Fizzness—a traditional fizz made with egg white and soda—was born. Cari Hah, Eugene Lee, and Selene Martinez of Big Bar in Los Angeles, CA, keep things light as they put the finishing touches on their Monkey Fizzness cocktail. POURING RIBBONS, New York, NY When Joaquín Simó, Partner at the East Village cocktail bar Pouring Ribbons, was tasked with Tecosky's collaborative cocktail challenge, he singled out Lead Bartender Brooke Toscano as his partner. The duo drew their cocktail inspiration from legendary Motörhead bassist/singer Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, who was rarely seen without a Jack and Coke in hand. To add complexity, Simó and Toscano sought to incorporate their favorite iterations of Coke—vanilla and cherry. "We started with Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth, which gives big beautiful spicy notes of vanilla and chocolate, then we went a little more esoteric with Byrrh Grand Quinquina to give subtle hints of cherry," Simó explains. At Pouring Ribbons in New York's East Village, Brooke Toscano and Joaquín Simó worked in tandem to create their Motörhead Royale cocktail. Motörhead Royale Created by Joaquín Simó and Brooke Toscano at Pouring Ribbons ◗ 1½ oz. Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Rye ◗ ½ oz. Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth ◗ ½ oz. Byrrh Grand Quinquina ◗ ¼ oz. Luxardo Amaro Abano liqueur ◗ 1½ oz. Mexican Coca-Cola ◗ 1 dash Peychaud's Bitters Combine ingredients (sans the Mexican Coke) in a mixing glass, add plenty of ice, and stir briskly until cold. Add the Coke to a chilled champagne flute, then strain the cocktail over it. Garnish with an orange pigtail twist. PHOTO: TIM MURRAY PHOTO: TIM MURRAY PHOTO: DUSTIN DOWNING PHOTO: DUSTIN DOWNING Monkey Fizzness Created by Cari Hah, Selene Martinez, and Eugene Lee at Big Bar ◗ 1½ oz. Jack Daniel's Rye Whiskey ◗ ½ oz. Tempus Fugit Crème de Cacao ◗ ½ oz. Giffard Crème de Banane ◗ 1 oz. heavy cream ◗ ¼ oz. dark chocolate syrup ◗ Egg white ◗ 3 drops Miracle Mile Redeye Bitters Add all ingredients to a tin with ice and shake vigorously until chilled. Strain the contents back into the tin and discard the used ice, then reseal and shake again. Pour 1 oz. of soda water in the bottom of a chilled fizz glass, add the shaken cocktail on top of the soda water, and give it a few taps on the bottom of the glass to help it settle. Add some soda water into the used tin, pouring down the side to "wash" it out with soda. Add that soda slowly to the glass until the fizz head peeks above the glass. Garnish with a brûléed banana fan and chocolate syrup.