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Ranch Restaurant & Saloon, Anaheim, Calif.
Creator: Christina Smith
Ingredients: Clarified lime juice, tequila blanco, triple sec, simple syrup
$16
The lime juice is clarified, a process using agar-agar and temperature specific cooking techniques. The result is juice that is not only clear, but the “bite” aspect has been tamed. In essence, we have removed some of the tannins, thus removing the mouth-drying, astringent component. What is left is a beautiful harmony of blanco tequila, triple sec, clarified lime and a touch of sweetener. Served over a clear ice cube with a salted rim. It looks like water, but gets you drunk like a margarita.
U Street Pizza, Pasadena, Calif.
Creator: Logan Bates, bar director
Ingredients: Watermelon, orange wine and pisco in a glass with a Tajín rim
$15
When we created the Free Parking, we wanted to make something that represented Pasadena and Southern California. We endure, and enjoy, summer weather almost all year long. We couldn’t think of anything more refreshing than fresh watermelon, juiced in house. Pisco is an oft forgotten or underutilized, grape-derived spirit and there’s a newer, trendy partner in orange wine. The rim is brushed with salty, spicy Tajin. The name is playful and welcoming, as most would agree that this is the only “Free Parking” you’ll find in Pasadena.
Bresca, Washington, D.C.
Creator: Will Patton, beverage director
Ingredients: Mijenta Blanco Tequila, sage-and-pink peppercorn-infused Sombra mezcal, pear, Aperol, lime
$18
Inspiration: The story of four penniless men, pushed through desperation and driven by the dream of escaping the squalor of a remote Central American mining town, are given the opportunity to escape by driving two trucks full of nitroglycerine 300 miles through the jungle and mountain. It’s a suicide mission and one of the tensest adventure films of the ’50s. To capture the essence of director Henri-Georges Clouzot’s last word on the thriller, we wanted to create a cocktail that played on the tension between the smoke and spice of the infused mezcal and the juicy hints of pear. Herbaceous from the sage to represent the jungle, and mineral from the tequila to represent the mountain, this cocktail is a journey of flavor. Ideally, it is a cocktail as drinkable as “Wages of Fear” is rewatchable.
Mala Tavern, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
Creator: Graham Schamberg, bartender/manager
Ingredients: Ocean Vodka, Maui oranges, lemon, Cointreau, Madagascan vanilla, egg whites and Tang
$15
My mom used to make us Orange Julius as a kid. This cocktail is designed to evoke fond memories.
Benchmark Restaurant, Santa Ana, Calif.
Duane Greenleaf, co-owner
Ingredients: Sabe yuzu citrus, Elderflower simple syrup, Blackberry Hibiscus CBD, cranberry juice, topped with soda, garnished with a fresh lemon peel
$12
We are always looking to create a special cocktail that includes our sabé based liquor, a type of sake, as we only have a beer and wine liquor license. For this cocktail, we use the Sabé Yuzu Citrus and pair it with our Blackberry CBD, with a smidgen of elderflower simple syrup for balance. It’s beautiful with a unique flavor profile.
Bar Chrystie, New York City
Robert Krueger, Master Mixologist
Ingredients: Belvedere Estate Vodka and extra virgin olive oil-washed vermouth, garnished with drops of house-made olio nero (Cerignola olive oil) and a trio of olives.
$22
This twist on a martini has olive oil in it to put a spin on the classic dirty martini. It salutes the Big Apple with the Big Olive. The birth of the Dirty Martini can be traced to President Franklin D. Roosevelt adding olive brine to the classic cocktail, an innovation shared with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin in the waning days of World War II. The oil-washed vermouth gives this cocktail a silky mouthfeel.
Jacks Monterey, Monterey, Calif.
Creator: Tuyet Vitacca, bartender
Ingredients: Turmeric-infused Kettle One, carrot juice, honey, lemon, bitters, St. Germain Elderflower-Lemon Foam
$15
This drink was created by Jacks Monterey bartender Tuyet Vitacca, who drew inspiration from her love of cooking curry with turmeric and carrots. Asian Persuasion uses a turmeric-infused Kettle One Vodka and carrot juice. Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties and carrots are a natural source of potassium and carotenoids, so this is a better-for-you cocktail.
The Mountaineering Club, Seattle
Creator: Ricky Agustin, bar director
Ingredients: Whidbey Island Distillery blackberry liqueur, vodka, gin, rum, tequila, triple sec, lemon, foraged blackberries
$14
The Whidbey Island Iced Tea is a Pacific Northwest take on the Long Island iced tea using blackberry liqueur from Whidbey Island Distillery and locally foraged berries. We put all the booze in a keg, carbonate it and serve it on draft. We drop in a slug of this intensely floral and juicy Whidbey Island Blackberry Liqueur. In season, our forager Matt Nevitt literally goes into the mountains and brings back wild Salal berries to garnish the drink.
Jane, San Clemente, Calif.
Creator: Dylan Churchill
Ingredients: Earl Grey Fords Gin, Gentian Amaro, yuzu, egg white
$17
The inspiration for this beautiful, dainty concoction is an Earl Grey Gin-infusion cocktail similar to one by Audrey Saunders, whose bar in New York called The Pegu Club had to close in 2020. It was nearly 15 years old before closing down, so we wanted to pay homage to Pegu by creating The Girl Grey at Jane. The Girl Grey has a special addition of yuzu, a Japanese citrus and Gentian Amaro, a local liqueur, which is herbaceous and sweet. This cocktail, which is served in an antique crystal cup and saucer, is an ode to fine mixology and delicious ingredients.
Toups Meatery, New Orleans
Creator: Jess Collins, head bartender
Ingredients: Pork-washed whiskey, apple bitters, simply syrup, Angostura bitters, orange peel
$12
Cajun "born and braised" chef/owner Isaac Toups grew up in Rayne, La., where pork chops were a staple on the dinner table. The cocktail is inspired by the perfect pairing of pork chops and applesauce. Pork washed whiskey is made by rendering 2 pounds of pork belly and reserving the fat. The rendered fat is then soaked in a bottle of whiskey and stored in a fridge for three days, then filtered. The result is a perfectly balanced whiskey with pork flavoring. Adding the apple bitters gives the same taste profile as the porkchop-and-applesauce dish.
