Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/46939
THE MESSAGE Americana Inspiration A former self-proclaimed ski bum, Blake F. Donaldson now publishes his own bartending manual, has had more than 90 instructional YouTube videos to his credit (see more at DrinkChef.com) and is the Beverage Director at American Farmhouse Tavern in Manhattan Beach, CA. The restaurant features Santa Maria style dry-rubbed barbeque, and the fresh dishes, sourced locally from up and down the California coast, are served family-style in a quirky ranch-house ambience. During a lengthy interview with owners Orlando and Kristen Novoa, they fi nally asked Donaldson what he would do that's unique, if he were to get the job. "I said: Craft cocktails! A melding of modern-day wants and desires with a pre-Prohibition methodology: fresh herbs, spices, berries—but using the most popular spirits of today." He sold them on himself, and they made a wise choice. Donaldson, a 50-year-old ball of energy who looks a decade younger, always has big plans: and carries through on them. He is growing his herb garden on the restaurant's roof, and carefully prepares recipes for his drinks that he tests out ahead, again and again. His house favorite, the Smokin' Irish, has one of the most savory garnishes we've ever tried. It's a spin on the beefstick; his smoked bacon is wrapped around a sugar cane. Boy, is that tasty! (See more on this drink, starring Jameson, on page 63.) Donaldson also brings charm, service and education to the fore. His handmade tool kit allows him to have everything he needs right at hand. He prepares a how-to book, personalized, for each of his bartenders, and his prep-ahead work is fastidious. "I even have my own tag line," he reports: "We don't sell food and drinks, we sell satisfaction." The Birthday Cake Martini easily combines vodka with simple syrup and milk. But its genius is the memorable presentation, with swirled sweets and a candle. Blake F. Donaldson is a craft bartender at Manhattan Beach eatery, American y American Farmhouse Tavern. The restaurant is themed after farm-to-table cattle ranch cuisine on California's Central Coast. Take it for Pomegranate I have lunches and dinners with a lot of winemakers and distillers, but John Cotta is the fi rst winemaker who poured me a pure glass of pomegranate juice to enjoy with my lunch. We met up in Lodi, California, his home town. He is the owner of a Central Coast winery called Baywood Cellars but is also Managing Partner for Perfect Pomé, a pomegranate juice that's not from a concentrate. "I was always disappointed by the taste of pomegranate juice," he confi des. "The juice in the stores is extremely undrinkable, acidic and tannic—and most of all it lacks varietal character." Cotta explains that the big juice companies are making the juice the easier way: smashing skins and pre-pasteurizing it, allowing the juice to sit in tanks. "They're basically cooking it," he explains. But this winemaker takes a more natural approach. Grown in Lodi and Stockton, the pure, fresh Perfect Pomé (we also found it at our local Gelson's Market) is seamless: no puckering, but instead, a pleasant sweet juiciness. Using modifi ed grape crushing machinery, Cotta runs the arils (each seed has a surrounding water-laden pulp—the edible aril) through the de-stemmer, separating them from the tart skins. Winemaker and beverage entrepre- neur John Cotta. 18 / the tasting panel / november 201 1 And, because of its delicious character, Cotta plans to market the brand to the mixology set through a 64-ounce on-premise version, a fresher approach than syrups or concentrates. "Pomegranate juice should be an enjoyable experience: it shouldn't be taken by the spoonful like medicine," he insists. Learn more at www. perfectpome.com PHOTOS: MERIDITH MAY