Some New York City bartenders are aiming to bring a little clarity to the cocktail-making process. In the most literal sense.
Drinking spots are offering clear or nearly clear variations on such classic cocktails as the Bloody Mary and the piña colada, using a variety of techniques that remove solids from the liquid. The idea, say bars and restaurants, is to give even the most-cocktail-savvy drinkers something completely unexpected.
“It kind of messes with your head, but in a great way,” said Mikey Belasco, beverage director at GupShup, a contemporary Indian restaurant in the Gramercy Park area. GupShup recently introduced the Bandra Bloody Mary, a clear version of the drink that is flavored with Indian spices.
Other clarified options abound, to use the bar-world term for such cocktails. Santina, an Italian restaurant in the Meatpacking District, has a nearly clear piña colada that it dubs La Dolce Vita. And at 701West, the restaurant inside the Times Square Edition hotel, the Paloma, a classic cocktail with tequila, lime juice and grapefruit soda, is also served in clarified form.
“It looks like water,” said David Solis, a 701West bartender.
The curiosity factor is definitely part of the appeal to such drinks, say those in the cocktail world. But bar professionals also note the clarification process can slightly change the taste and texture of a drink in an appealing way.
“It creates this mouth feel that’s nice,” said Ryan Davis, beverage director at Santina.
While clarified cocktails may be trending of late, they go far back in time. Cocktail historian Dave Wondrich traces the concept back a few centuries to milk punches.
The appeal was the drink didn’t have to be consumed right away, Mr. Wondrich added. In effect, it was a shelf-stable product that could be bottled and saved for later use.
Today, the concept is being rediscovered by bars and restaurants in part for the same reason, say industry professionals. A clarified drink can be made in advance and easily stored in the refrigerator for at least a few days. That makes for a degree of efficiency, even as it wows customers at the same time.
“It’s incredibly bartender-friendly,” said Art Sutley, publisher of Bar Business Magazine, a trade publication.
Not that there isn’t effort involved in the clarification. Various techniques are used. Gelatin can be added to absorb the solids. Filters, such as cheesecloth or even a coffee filter, can do the trick as well.
Bars and restaurants say the drinks, which often cost $15 or more, are proving popular. “People are really intrigued by the process,” said Shawn Chen, beverage manager at Decoy, a Greenwich Village bar connected to RedFarm, an Asian restaurant. Decoy currently features a clarified milk punch on its drink menu.
Still, not everyone in the bar community thinks clear is cool.
Niccole Trzaska, a beverage consultant who works with clients in New York, said the drinks may fool consumers into thinking a clarified cocktail is somehow healthier. She noted the cocktails can have as much alcohol and other sugar-rich elements as the nonclarified versions.
Others just feel a drink should be made the classic way and a Bloody Mary should be, well, bloody red. Victor Dedushaj, director of operations at East Midtown’s Benjamin Steakhouse, is among those in that camp.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I like my Bloody Mary the way it is,” he said.
Write to Charles Passy at cpassy@wsj.com
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This Bloody Mary Isn’t Red! New York Bartenders Mix Clear Drinks - Wall Street Journal (India)
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