Where classic drinks get new twists
One of the best ways to get the flavor of a place is to sidle up to the hottest bar in town and see what the locals are sipping. And increasingly, what makes a bar sizzle is not how many times Paris Hilton has been there, but how the bartenders are generating a good buzz—in more ways than one.
Case in point is Seven Grand in Los Angeles, where head mixologist Marcos Tello serves top-notch drinks, such as a true-to-form sazerac or an original-recipe Ramos Gin Fizz. He's a stickler for details, and proudly makes sure his fellow bartenders are making drinks "consistently at the highest level of quality." A self-taught bartender who spends countless hours studying classic cocktail books, Tello wants to put L.A. back on the cocktail map. To that end, he's trying to revive lesser-known classics, such as The L.A. Cocktail—a mix of blended whisky, sweet vermouth, lemon juice, superfine sugar and an egg. Tello is not alone. Across the country, a new breed of bartenders are raising the standards of mixology—the art of creating innovative and classic mixed drinks from fresh, premium ingredients. Whether in New York, New Orleans or Oregon, these men and women are bringing nobility back to their profession. Though each has his or her own specialty and personal flair, they share a palpable passion for their craft and a love for being "behind the stick" night after night.
See our slideshow of Cocktail Movers & Shakers.
In Washington, D.C., mixologist Gina Chersevani enjoys working with unusual ingredients such as saffron and cardamom. She presides over the bar at the swanky Rasika. "For me, it's all about the flavors. I ask people, 'What flavor do you like—sour, sweet, spicy?'—and I don't even ask them what spirits they want. I just create a drink that will match their flavor preference." In her recent effort to create a cocktail that uses Blue Coat Gin ("the best gin in the world"), she invented the Saffron Martini, which includes a reduction of black lotus wildflower honey with saffron.
Seattle is buzzing about Canadian Jamie Boudreau, the master mixologist at Vessel and a well-known "molecular mixologist" who incorporates chemistry and physics to create amazing new flavors and textures. His Leigh's Lava Lamp combines a champagne and ginger tincture with elderflower liqueur and "violet caviar," creating impressive bubbles. Despite his ingenuity and modern touch, Boudreau is old-school at heart. "I love focusing on the classic cocktails," he says, "keeping that heritage and history alive… and doing it the way it used to be done."
Another drink-slinger who's putting the Pacific Northwest on the cocktail map is Jeffrey Mortgenthaler, bartender at El Vaquero in Eugene, Oregon. "There are amazing drinks being made in this region right now and people don't really know about it." He's doing his best to change that. Of late, his favorite drink is an Old Fashioned using house-made orange bitters and his own brandied cherries.
Chicago's newly opened Drawing Room is a culinary cocktail lounge where the female bartenders steal the show. Lynn House, a 20-year restaurant veteran, joined the Drawing Room as a mixologist because of the creativity involved. "I love that I get to create my own brand and put out my personality in my drinks," she explains. Her current signature cocktail is the Latin Petal, with cognac and tequila, inspired by the tequila's origins with agave flower. Another Drawing Room original cocktail, Debbi Peek's Now and Zen, won the U.S. Bartenders' Guild national title in 2007.
At New York's Freemans restaurant, Lynette Marrero thrives on the relationship between cuisine and classic cocktails. "It's different in a restaurant bar," she explains. "I have really learned to created well-crafted cocktails that go with the food." Nearby, at one of New York's hottest cocktail venues, Milk & Honey, Sammy Ross is mixing it up. A restaurant veteran since the age of 15, this native Australian enjoys New York's tradition of combining minimal ingredients with perfect methodology. He's keen to "teach, to train and hopefully inspire."
Down in the bayou, where many time-honored and beloved cocktails originated, a definitive version of New Orleans' classics can be found at Lu Brow's bar at Café Adelaide. With a disarming southern twang, Brow explains that "most people work too hard, and when they sit down to have a cocktail, it should be a well-made one." Given the opportunity to transform the bar of Café Adelaide, Brow developed drinks that are an "homage to our city."