The featured cocktails for the month of July may sound more like a breakfast sandwich than a typical bar menu, but they perfectly capture the growing trend for savory cocktails. These cocktails are all about embracing the flavors of cheese, egg, and tomato, offering a salty, briny, and umami experience. This shift in taste preferences started with the popularity of olive- or pickle-brine dirty martinis, where bartenders used saline solutions to balance out sweetness. It then expanded to include vegetable-infused spirits on drink menus that were created in collaboration with restaurant kitchens.
Sweetness has taken a backseat as palates now crave the salt and spice of ingredients like gochujang, sriracha, furikake, tahini, miso, soy sauce, and even fish oil. For example, the award-winning Manhattan bar, Double Fried Chicken, is known for its Cold Pizza cocktail made with cheese and burnt toast tequila. Tomato Caprese cocktails have also been making appearances on bar menus, crafted with whey and clear tomato water that is pressed, frozen, and strained through cheesecloth. These savory cocktails have become just as common behind the bar as simple syrup.
One notable addition to the savory cocktail trend is a ramp gin from Catskills-based distillery Isolation Proof, which creates a perfect savory martini. Their original gin is being featured in a Jersey Heirloom cocktail at The Wesley in NYC, which includes tomato water, basil, saline, and a tomato and basil garnish. Further upstate, establishments like Nighthawks, 353, BackBar, Padrona, and The Savoy Taproom are experimenting with ingredients like butter-sauteed mushrooms, carrots, sweet potatoes, and seaweed in their craft cocktails. So, adding egg, cheese, and tomato to summer cocktails may not be such a far stretch after all. Just make sure to try these unique creations while they are still available.
The Ingredient: GOAT CHEESE
The Drink: The M
Where to Find It: {pretty to think so}, Rhinebeck; prettytothink.so
Madeline Dillon, the bar director and mixologist at {pretty to think so} in Rhinebeck, is known for her innovative bar program. She has taken the idea of a goat cheese-stuffed olive garnish and turned it into the star of her signature cocktail, The M. Dillon fat-washes organic vodka with goat cheese and pairs it with dry gin in a 3:1 ratio, adding a twist to James Bond’s classic Vesper Martini. Instead of Kina Lillet, she uses extra-dry vermouth. To complete the presentation, the cocktail is garnished with a goat cheese-stuffed olive, and the excess vodka is served in a sidecar vial on ice. This stunning and savory rendition of a martini is a true delight.
Dillon also loves experimenting with seasonally rotating flavors, and one of her recent creations is the savory Piper’s Peck martini, featured on her new summer menu. This martini incorporates the salt brine from kitchen-pickled peppers and is served with a garnish of gilded pepper on the side.
The Ingredient: SUNGOLD TOMATO
The Drink: Cirice
Where to Find It: Nighthawks, Troy; nighthawkstroy.com
Amanda Baker, the bar director and mixologist at Nighthawks in Troy, draws inspiration from the restaurant’s kitchen. With Caprese salad cocktails gaining popularity in metropolitan areas, she decided to create her own twist on the concept. Her cocktail, Cirice, features vodka, whey, tomato tincture, basil oil, and a jar of Sungold tomatoes preserved by the Nighthawk’s kitchen. The vodka is infused with carrot greens, lending an earthiness to the cocktail. Additional ingredients include Cynar, a bitter Italian amaro made from artichokes, Greenbar Distillery poppy amaro, and orange oil. The resulting cocktail is surprisingly refreshing, with subtle bitter citrus notes. A preserved Sungold tomato rests at the base of the coupe glass, and feathery carrot tops are clipped to the side, reinforcing the inspiration from a vegetable garden. While currently a limited edition, more cherry tomatoes are being prepared for an extended midsummer run, giving patrons a chance to experience this unique cocktail.
The Ingredient: FREE-RANGE EGG
The Drink: Free-Range Margarita
Where to Find It: June Farms, Averill Park; junefarms.com
The Pony Bar at June Farms has been serving the Free-Range Margarita since its inception. As the farm has grown and added new experiences like wellness huts, goat yoga, and event filming, this cocktail has remained a favorite among patrons. It’s no surprise considering the true farm-to-glass experience offered here. A wire basket of farm-fresh eggs sits on the bar, just steps away from free-range chickens roaming the fields. The margarita itself stays true to tradition, combining tequila, lime, Cointreau, agave, and the white of a free-range egg. The egg provides a light foam when shaken with ice, resulting in a delightful texture. Served in a coupe glass with a farm-grown white daisy, this cocktail is best enjoyed amidst a sunset or under the twinkling fairy lights in the Pony Barn.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
