Mixologists are really mixing it up : The cocktail has gone way beyond a splash of soda and a twist of lime . It ’ s even migrated from behind the bar to the kitchen , using everything from a slushie mashine to a centrifuge to concoct inventive and delicious twists on traditional drinks . Salud !— J . H .
F & B
SHAKING up cocktail culture
Mixologists are really mixing it up : The cocktail has gone way beyond a splash of soda and a twist of lime . It ’ s even migrated from behind the bar to the kitchen , using everything from a slushie mashine to a centrifuge to concoct inventive and delicious twists on traditional drinks . Salud !— J . H .
KITCHEN concoctions
Classic cocktails had been done . Ditto for luxury bottle service . And locally sourced ingredients remain popular practically everywhere . But 20-ingredient margaritas topped with a molecular gastronomy-made salt foam ? How about mojitos made with centrifuged gem-colored and refractometer-measured sweet ice ?
That ’ s exactly what Executive Chef Nathaniel Cayer and the culinary team at the I / O Rooftop Lounge at the Godfrey Hotel in Chicago did . Cayer and another chef made all the cocktails when the hotel debuted in 2014 . Today , Cayer and his cocktail chef , Walter Ortiz , make half the cocktails to order , prepping them so bartenders can finish them in front of guests . “ It ’ s definitely been more successful than I thought it would be , and it has alleviated a lot of pressure on the front of the house ,” Cayer says . The cocktails are so popular — 24 quarts of margaritas on a typical night — that he is taking the concept to the Juniper bar at the soon-to-open Claridge House Hotel , also in Chicago .
If the kitchen makes the cocktails , provide space and equipment . When I / O opened , chefs clarified spirits and juices in a two-day process . “ Just buy the US $ 800 centrifuge ,” he advises . “ I can now clarify 42 ounces of liquid in 10 minutes .”
30 hotelsmag . com June 2018