Crafting Cocktails from the Well BARTENDERS GET CREATIVE WITH WELL SPIRITS By Jill Dutton
Ah, the craft cocktail. The epitome of the cocktail scene made using the finest ingredients and carefully crafted with aesthetics in mind. So, what about cocktails made with well spirits? Can a cocktail be considered craft while using well spirits? These bartenders say, Yes. When Kansas Citians want elevated cocktails served in a hip establishment, they head to SoT. Jake Stanton is the general manager and bartender of this small yet quirky cocktail bar in the artsy Crossroads District of Kansas City, MO. Stanton says part of SoT’s popularity lends to its unusual menus that often make patrons chuckle when reading the puns used in naming seasonal cocktails, such as the Takes Two to Mango cocktail made with tequila, mango, lime, and habanero shrub. Although it may be all fun and games when naming drinks, they take the art of crafting cocktails seriously. Still, serious or not, Stanton says he doesn’t mind using well or lower-cost spirits in cocktails for a few reasons. “Just because something is a low-cost bottle doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t a good product. I believe [well spirits] can serve a place in attributing to the full balance, flavor, and experience of a cocktail, just as any small-batch or specialty spirit can.” In addition, he says, “A product that is typically known as a well spirit is predominately much more available at the consistency and volume needed for a popular selling cocktail on a seasonal menu. I’ve experienced both sides of this at an establishment rooted in seasonal cocktails. Getting that hip small-batch whiskey on the market in a menu drink only to find out it’s unavailable a month later isn’t reliable enough to maintain consistency for your guests, hospitality, menu, or business in general.”
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A well staple Stanton uses in cocktails is Old Crow Bourbon. He says, “This stuff is found in almost every dive bar well in Kansas City. A warm shot of this at 2 a.m. is probably not a good example of what this bottle can do. Sometimes you just have to chill it down with a touch of turbinado syrup and a couple of dashes of Angostura. In an Old Fashioned, it’s perfect. The oak and caramel that shine out of the spirit are unexpected. It’s straightforward, balanced, and downright delightful. I love drinking a couple of ounces of this on an ice cube at home and enjoying the layers of flavor that emerge as the ice cube melts. This is one of the cheapest bourbons you’ll find at any store and the simplest of cocktails.” Stanton also uses Ezra Brooks Rye. “We’ve had a drink on the ‘house specials’ portion of our menu for the last few years. It’s a simple riff on a Black Manhattan using our well rye whiskey called the Crossroads Manhattan. Ezra weighs in at 90-proof, so it has a touch of heat. This is quality I reach for with boozeforward cocktails. I love the way the heat can open with a little help from some friends.”
