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Foodies cheer the infusing possibilities of tequila and whiskey
• by Sara White • Photos by Josh Monken
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Some folks pursue one perfectly crafted kind of cocktail. Others drink to bring on and manage a buzz. We like to think that we drink like we eat: to experience new flavors. (Is Hendrick’s Gin a flavor?) So if we sense that our palate’s about to go on an adventure, we’ve been known to clap and cheer. ’Cause we’re classy like that.
Imagine our response when we heard that bartenders at Atomic Cowboy have been infusing vodka with all sorts of culinary delights: apricots and lemongrass, roasted peanuts, garden vegetables. We swear little hearts floated from our head.
But check out what they’re infusin’ at the Cowboy lately: tequila and whiskey. “As the seasons slow down, you have a little more time to play with cocktails,” said Jen Dormuth, bartender at the hip destination in The Grove. She, by the way, definitely has a foodie thing going on. A bartender who reads dessert recipes for inspiration? Saucy.
Dormuth added honey, almonds and rosemary to reposado, or rested, tequila and let it rest some more. The honey took the bite off the tequila, and the almonds were sturdy, smooth and of course a little nutty. But the rosemary was extra cool, particularly in Dormuth’s vanilla Margarita. Mixed with the light oak of the reposado plus the salt on the rim, the rosemary gave each sip an almost smoky finish. (Yes, you will have the salt, thank you.)
The Cowboy’s tequila infusions have “broken down the barrier for a lot of people who aren’t sure about tequila,” Dormuth said. It doesn’t get less threatening than strawberry-infused silver (unaged) tequila, which Dormuth shakes with banana liqueur and tops with passion fruit and fresh lime juices to create her Strawberry-Passion Punch. (It tasted like what we’re going for – but not quite achieving – when we pathetically add a splash of tequila to a can of Jumex Strawberry Banana Nectar.) Even Dormuth was surprised by how much strawberry flavor stays in the tequila. “Good stuff,” she said.
Incidentally, it doesn’t have to take much time to infuse even booze with pronounced flavor of its own, such as reposado tequila. Dormuth said the infusing is the easy part; you can steep clean ingredients in a clean jar and start to get results overnight. It’s controlling the flavors, particularly for consistency behind the bar, that requires a little practice and patience.
For example, Dormuth wasn’t happy with an early attempt to infuse whiskey with cherries, vanilla and honey. The vanilla flavor was too prominent, she said, so she tinkered till it was just right. In addition to providing incredible fragrance, the vanilla, along with the honey, takes the heat off the whiskey. And the cherry, well, it makes the whiskey sparkle – so much that our Manhattan caught the eye of other patrons who wisely wanted to have what we were having. (The infusion would also make for a festive Old-Fashioned.)
While Dormuth doesn’t encourage covering up the taste of whiskey, she admitted “the cherry-vanilla with Coke would be awesome.” Now, before you bust out the Booker’s, note that these aren’t necessarily premium spirits she’s infusing, just tasty well bottles. “It glams up the rail,” Dormuth said. And keeps the prices in check: $7 for cocktails, $3 for shots.
More whiskey infusions are definitely in the works as the weather grows colder, Dormuth promised. (Hot toddy, anyone?) Yes, we’re ready for that cup of cheer now.
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