Men’s Journal – September 2019

F YOU haven’t noticed,

sugar is a common crutch

in cocktails, thanks to an

overreliance on simple syr-

ups—aka sugar water. But

these days, bartenders across the country

are dropping the sweeteners, in part to cut

calories but mainly to focus on more natural,

nuanced f lavors. “When you take out the

one ingredient that’s like crack for our pal-

ates,” says Yana Volf son, beverage director

at New York’s A lta bar, “we’re forced to f ind

f lavor in other ways.” Volfson and fellow

bartenders f ind those f lavors by pairing

ingredients that play well together, like

using amaro to draw out vanilla and spice

notes in whiskeys, or teasing out subtle

fruit and herbaceous notes by combining

dif ferent st yles of vermout h w it h gin, mez-

cal, or pisco. Here are three to tr y now. Q

I

Most cocktails use simple syrups to balance the booze and add

flavor, but innovative bartenders are finding ways to amp up a

drink’s complexity without the added sugar. by AMY ZAVATTO

How Sweet It Isn’t

1. INTRO TO DURANGO
   From Yana Volfson, Alta, New York

1¼ oz mezcal, like Origen Raiz

¾ oz fresh lemon juice

½ oz Giffard white crème de cacao

1 pinch hoja santa (a popular herb in

Mexico) or fresh tarragon

Combine all ingredients in a shaker

with ice and shake vigorously. Double

strain into a coupe glass, and garnish

with extra hoja santa or tarragon.

2. BAD BLOOD
   From Allison Hinson, Iberian Pig,
   Decatur, Georgia

1 oz gin

1 oz Aperol

1 oz blood orange puree, like Perfect

Puree concentrate

4 dashes vanilla and clove tincture

1 star anise

Combine gin, Aperol, orange puree,

and tincture in a shaker with ice and

shake well. Double strain into a Nick &

Nora glass. Garnish with star anise.

3. FEZ MEDINA
   From Ky Belk , Edible Beats restau-
   rant group, Denver

1½ oz rye whiskey, like Old Overholt

Bonded Straight

¾ oz CioCiaro amaro

½ oz Aperol

3 dashes Strongwater Riza bitters or

Peychaud’s bitters

Lemon twist

Dehydrated lemon wheel

Combine all ingredients except lemon

wheel in a mixing glass with ice, and

stir until chilled. Strain into a double

old-fashioned glass with a large ice

cube. (And if you want to get extra

fancy, cedar smoke the glass first.*)

Garnish with lemon wheel.

*Burn a spot on a cedar grilling plank

and inver t the glass over the

smoldering ember, allowing smoke

to fill glass while making the drink.

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DRINKS
030 SEPTEMBER 2019 MEN’S JOURNAL photograph by TED + CHELSEA