Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/611718
DEPARTMENT HEADER december 2015 / the tasting panel / 123 It's not that surprising that Casey Elder became a bartender; it's in his blood, after all. "My family owns Crowley's, an Irish pub—the oldest in Cincinnati—that's been around for 78 years," Elder says. "Everybody in the family has worked there at some point." Elder started off in the family business, attending bartending school in San Diego at the age of 21, but ended up taking a job as a life insurance agent. However, that didn't last long: "I realized I wasn't meant to work a desk job," Elder confessed. "I like meeting new people, and getting to know their story, and I needed to do something more personable and social, not just talking to people on a phone all day." Elder enjoys making cocktails with moonshine, including one he makes with Ole Smoky's Big Orange Moonshine, a tribute to Cincinnati's football team, the Bengals, whose stadium is close to Rusconi Pizza. "Blue Flame's taste reminds me a lot of tequila, and I love that it can hold a blue flame! [At the finals Elder lit his cocktail glasses on fire with the spirit before pouring in his drink.] It's a great spirit to work with that can keep a drink's proof high while still tasting great." Elder's drink, Cherry Flame 128, is a version of a popular drink that he makes often at Rusconi Pizza, the restaurant where he bartends. "Women in Cincinnati love moonshine," Elder explains. "I think it might have to do with drinks served in Mason jars being so popular. But they want something that will balance out the potency of the spirit, and give it a little sweetness. This cocktail seemed like the perfect answer to that." Elder wanted to make his cocktail accessible to the public, something that all bartenders could replicate in their own bar. "I wanted to make a Friday/Saturday night drink, something not necessarily for an upscale crowd. It's a drink that would work in high-volume bars, but is also still strong and tasty." a laugh. "My mother was a sommelier, and I learned a lot about wine from her. Mixing cocktails is actually similar to cooking. Making cocktails is instantly gratifying, and whatever is behind the bar is at your disposal. In a couple minutes you can make a new creation. It may not be good, but it's fun to mess around! It's almost scientific, the way in which you can constantly change a single variable at a time in order to get the cocktail where you want it." Griffin's scientific methodology has served him well in the Masters of Moonshine contest, with his Laotian White Lightning Lemonade, a lemonade- based drink with a surprising twist of galangal, an Asian root similar to ginger. Griffin explains the concept of his drink: "It does a really great job of first and foremost highlighting the pure white whiskey taste of Blue Flame, while also taming the incredibly high level of alcohol. For me, the first flavors you get in the cocktail are Blue Flame, lemon and Kaffir lime. Then the drink dries out in a good way with the Tio Pepe and cucumber shining through. Finally (unexpectedly for first-time drinkers) you get that zing of floral and pepper notes from the galangal. This layering of flavors and evolution of taste from a single sip is what makes it unique. I was pleasantly surprised how easy Blue Flame was to work with, and I look forward to incorporating moonshine into my cocktails more often." Laotian White Lightning Lemonade ◗ 1½ oz. Ole Smoky Blue Flame Moonshine ◗ 1 oz. Tio Pepe Palamino Fino Sherry ◗ 2 oz. galangal syrup ◗ 1 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice ◗ 2 ea ½-inch slices English cucumber ◗ Kaffir lime leaf garnish Casey Elder, Rusconi Pizza in Cincinnati, OH Cherry Flame 128 ◗ 1½ oz. Ole Smoky Blue Flame Moonshine ◗ 1¼ oz. cherry vodka ◗ 1 oz. grenadine ◗ 6 oz. pineapple juice ◗ Splash of Sprite