Trendy CONCOCTIONS
Phoenix bartenders shake up tradition with creative offerings
These days, some bartenders are like mad scientists. They’ll experiment with a wide array of ingredients, such as exotic herbs and spices and unusual fruits and vegetables. They look for influences from all continents. Many even infuse their own liquors, create homemade bitters and shrubs, and design playful garnishes. Some of these cocktail components need to be cooked in the kitchen, soaked overnight or steeped for several days. Here are five of the latest trends that top Valley bartenders have been exploring, and recipes for cocktails that highlight those trends.
Boba tea
Bartender: Phil Clark. Restaurant: Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails.
Trend evolution: Boba tea, or bubble tea, was created in Taiwan in the 1980s. It traditionally consists of milk tea and chewy tapioca balls or pearls. Bubble tea shops feature many different flavor combinations, including fruity tea bases.
“I take inspiration from all over, and try to remain open to challenging the norms and archetypes of contemporary cocktails,” Clark said. “At some point, I drove past a bubble tea shop and was reminded of that sweet, chewy, milky delight I had as a teenager, and the idea stuck with me.”
The version at Blue Hound is created from dehydrated boba pearls, which are cooked a few times a week and preserved in a rich simple syrup. Clark said guests have been curious about the concoction, and he hopes more bartenders will “reach further into international drinking cultures, both alcoholic and non, to find new ways to push the envelope.”
Boba Tea
Servings: 1. 10-12 boba tapioca pearls (found in Asian markets and at online retailers including Amazon and Walmart)
2 ounces black tea-infused Tito’s Vodka (recipe below)
1 ounce chai-spiced Carpano Antica vermouth (recipe below) ounce cinnamon syrup (recipe below)
21⁄2 ounces coconut milk
Fresh-grated nutmeg, torch-roasted cinnamon stick and mint sprig for garnish (optional)
For black tea-infused vodka: 1 liter Tito’s vodka cup loose black tea
Over low heat, bring vodka to approximately 150 degrees. Add tea and remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature and rebottle. Keeps indefinitely.
For chai-infused sweet vermouth:
2 tablespoons cardamom pods 1 teaspoon cloves
10 cinnamon sticks
5 star anise pods
1 tablespoon allspice
2 teaspoons black peppercorns cup peeled and diced fresh ginger root cup loose chai tea
1 liter Carpano Antica vermouth
750 ml Cocci di Torino vermouth Roast all of the spices (cardamom through ginger) over medium heat until fragrant. Add the chai tea leaves and 375 ml of each vermouth. Bring to a boil for 2 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool. Add the rest of both types of vermouth. Strain through cheesecloth-lined chinois (a conical-shaped fine mesh sieve). Re-bottle and store indefinitely.
For cinnamon syrup:
3 parts white sugar 2 parts boiling water
Cinnamon sticks
Whisk over heat until well combined, uniform and translucent but not boiling. Add 4 to 6 cinnamon sticks per quart. Bring to a nearboil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain through fine mesh. The syrup will keep for one month in the refrigerator.
To make the cocktail: Place boba pearls at the bottom of a frozen hurricane glass and top with ice. In a cocktail shaker, combine black tea-infused vodka, chai-spiced vermouth, cinnamon syrup and coconut milk and shake well with large ice cubes.
Strain the mixture into the glass. Garnish with fresh-grated nutmeg, a torch-roasted cinnamon stick and a mint sprig. Serve with an oversize straw.
Where to get it: Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails, Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix at CityScape, 2 E. Jefferson St. 602-258-0231, bluehoundkitchen.com.