cheers
SPIRIT OF SUMMER
Mastro’s mixologists are muddling something special BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ
S
PHOTO COURTESY OF MASTRO’S
ummer isn’t over just yet – at least not at Mastro’s Steakhouse, Mastro’s City Hall and Mastro’s Ocean Club. Each of Mastro’s local restaurants will offer their new summer cocktail menu items into the fall and beyond, including The Spirit of Summer ($18). “It all starts with the gin,” says Robbi Jo Oliver, director of wine and spirits for Mastro’s Steakhouse. “We use a brand called Botanist, by design. Gins can often be heavy, which turns most people off to using them in light, summer cocktails.” While most gins taste like juniper, more than 22 botanicals including juniper, lemon balm and several flower varietals – each of which are handpicked by the botanist team – are used to develop this gin, resulting in lighter flavor notes. In addition to the gin, the muddled raspberries and hint of simple syrup in the cocktail are also by design. “Whenever we create a new cocktail, we ask our bartenders nationwide about trends in their markets,” says Oliver, noting that over the past year, raspberries have spiked in popularity. Oliver then uses rosemary needles and freshly squeezed lemon. All of the elements are shaken with ice and poured into a tall, chilled Pilsner glass over ice. The cocktail is topped off with club soda and garnished with a small sprig of rosemary and fresh raspberries. “The taste is perfectly balanced and really refreshing with just a hint of sweetness,” Oliver says. “The combination of the herbs and botanicals remind me of a cocktail one would get in a spa.” Find any of Mastro’s Restaurants at www.mastrosrestaurants.com.
SO SCOTTSDALE! |
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| SEPTEMBER 2016
8/24/16 8:29 AM