Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/960891
april 2018 / the tasting panel / 47 MATTIE COWAN, Bar Manager and Beverage Curator at La Cour Denver's Art Bar Musical Inspiration: "My inspiration is Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, because 'turn it up' [the name of Cowan's cocktail] is what you say anytime a Zeppelin song comes on, and it's what you do with a bottle of Jack! There's a photo taken backstage by Neal Preston in Indianapolis in 1975 just before Led Zeppelin takes the stage where Jimmy Page is taking a bottle of Jack Daniel's and 'turning it up,'" Cowan says. "My drink is an Old Fashioned that turns up the heat a little bit." Favorite Song to Play Behind the Bar: "The best song I could play behind the bar is Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love,' among other tracks of theirs. It's got a progressive rock beat you can't not nod your head along to, and it's got great energy," Cowan says. Turn It Up ◗ 2 oz. Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey ◗ ½ oz. housemade ancho-cacao liqueur ◗ 2 dashes aromatic bitters Serve in a double Old Fashioned glass smoked with cedar wood for a smoky flavor. Garnish with raw cacao nibs and flamed orange zest. ◗ ALEX KADY, Bartender at Ste. Ellie Musical Inspiration: "Country singer- songwriter Margo Price's music style is reminiscent of the music my father listened to while I was growing up," Kady says. "Price's song 'Hurtin' (On the Bottle)' was my particu- lar inspiration, with the lyrics 'I put a hurtin' on the bottle/Baby now I'm blind enough to see/I've been drinking whiskey like it's water/But that don't touch the pain you put on me.' I wanted to create a boozy but easy-to-drink cocktail." Favorite Song to Play Behind the Bar: "It depends on whatever the crowd is into. Sundays I work solo and normally start my shift with Merle Haggard, then go to Vintage Trouble, followed by Sly and the Family Stone, and close it out with Salt-N-Pepa," Kady says. Aledo Old Fashioned ◗ 2 oz. Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey ◗ ¼ oz. banana liqueur ◗ ½ oz. black walnut liqueur ◗ 1 tbsp. turbinado sugar ◗ 2 dashes Angostura Bitters