The Tasting Panel magazine

March 2013

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PHOTO: JAY SCHROEDER On-Premise with Atlantico PHOTO: ROB BROWN omme ��a is Chef David Meyer���s intimate French brasserie at the fashionable corner of Melrose and La Cienega in West Hollywood, CA. Comme ��a���s ���18A��� bar program is named, ironically, for the disastrous 18th amendment and is styled after Prohibition-era cocktails and bartending craftsmanship. Bartender Brent Henry says, ���When you come out with a good product, like Atlantico, mixologists and bartenders really want to use it in their bar programs. And when the person behind the bar is passionate about the spirit, then it���s going to make for even better cocktails. ��� On-Premise with Atlantico LOS ANGELES: Comme ��a C Cristiana DeLucca, Head Bartender, Chief Mixologist and Beverage Director of the Drawing Room in Chicago. CHICAGO: The Drawing Room ���C Brent Henry creates stylish cocktails at Comme ��a in Los Angeles. Among Henry���s hand-created craft cocktails is The Sailor, a new take on a classic drink. ���Bourbons and ryes are in vogue right now for brown spirits. The Sailor is a rum Old Fashioned with a few little twists on it, he says. ��� ���I originally used Atlantico���s Reserva, but I���ve moved on to the Private Cask, which I ind works really well in this drink. I really like the nose on it. ��� Spicy and aromatic and served with one hand-chipped ice rock, The Sailor shows off Private Cask���s warm, dark notes while also adding bright and refreshing lavors to the drink. The Sailor ��� 1 brown sugar cube ��� 3 dashes Fee Brothers Old Fashioned Bitters ��� Splash of soda water ��� 2 oz. Atlantico Private Cask Rum ��� Muddle sugar cube with bitters and soda. Add rum and stir in glass. Add large, hand-chipped ice block. Spritz a lemon twist over the cocktail and discard. hicagoans are becoming more comfortable letting their bartender guide them, explains Cristiana ��� DeLucca, Head Bartender, Chief Mixologist and Beverage Director of the Drawing Room in Chicago. ���More often than not they say, ���I���m in your hands.��� So I try to steer them to things they haven���t tried before. Premium rums are often in that category. ��� DeLucca, who apprenticed under Windy City bar greats Tim Lacey and Charles Joly, says that Atlantico features the quality that its right in with the Drawing Room���s bar program, which emphasizes balance, seasonality and fresh ingredients. ���I was blown away by the Reserva. The irst time I tasted it, I felt that I had found my new favorite rum, ��� says DeLucca. ���In all my cocktails I���m trying to highlight the lavor of the spirit itself. For the Allison #4, I wanted the rum to come through clearly. I also used dry sherry to balance out the sweetness of the Reserva and give the drink a nutty inish. ��� In addition to being approachable and appealing, Delucca���s cocktails typically demonstrate another appealing attribute: speed. ���I want it to be easily executed. I appreciate the qualities of a hand-crafted cocktail, but there���s no reason a customer should have to wait 20 minutes for a drink to be prepared. ��� Allison #4 ��� �� oz. ino sherry ��� �� oz. B��n��dictine ��� 2 dashes Angostura Bitters ��� 2 oz. Atlantico Reserva ��� Stir in glass with ice; add orange peel. march 2013 / the tasting panel / 105

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