Ryan Barrentine
The Double Edged Sword
Some parts of this quarantine are great! I’m deep in self reflection, cooking stellar homemade meals, and have all this time for cocktail recipes. Other parts not so much, like the entire country shuttering to a halt. Ultimately this span of time is a struggle between indulgence and moderation - a pendulum swinging from online yoga classes and making sushi at home to 11am cocktail tastings and smashing a dozen homemade cookies.
I’ve worked in hospitality for 15 years and seen the entire industry change in a few weeks. It’s permanently shifted how I think about the next 10 years behind the bar. Neighborhood restaurants have turned into specialty food shops, bars are delivering their cocktails to your door. We’re creating a stronger sense of community even in isolation. But in the end, I believe learning to make your own cocktails will be more gratifying than spending $100 on bottled Negroni’s. I’ve thrown moderation to the wind for this variation on a tiki classic, the Fog Cutter. Using a blend of simple liquors with grapefruit, and an orgeat made with Don’s Mix (a grapefruit and cinnamon tiki syrup) this complex cocktail drinks refreshingly dryer than the original. One of these really cuts through all the quarantine bullshit and clears your head. Worried you might be indulging too much? Drink the sherry neat.
1oz Rum (preferably Plantation Pineapple Rum)
1oz Gin
1oz Bourbon
1oz Amontillado Sherry
2oz Grapefruit
1oz Dons Mix Orgeat
.5oz Lime Juice
For more cocktail recipes and my current cocktail menu follow me on instagram @bar_rentine
Don’s Mix Orgeat: Warm 1/2 cup almond milk and steep 4 cinnamon sticks for 20 min, add 1/2 cup sugar and dissolve, add 1 cup fresh grapefruit juice, refrigerate.
