THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016
THE NIGHTOWL
97
SIP » UNLEASH » MIX » MINGLE » PULSE » SHAKE
MAD MIXOLOGIST
Getting down and dirty with the Valley’s hottest shot slingers This ingredient, to this day, is still my nemesis. I would make white zinfandel martinis all day long to avoid having to attempt to make anything with this ingredient ever again.
Liquor bar next door to Bourbon & Bones; Ross Simon, the founder over at Bitter & Twisted; and Aaron DeFeo down in Tucson.
What is your No. 1 pet peeve when working?
Hey, my mom loves gin and tonics! And anything mom loves is good enough for me. But seriously, if someone orders a gin and tonic, they are usually going to get what they want whether they are at a dive bar, mixology mecca or even chain restaurant. The same can’t be said for people who always want champagne cocktails or flavored margaritas. And, because brands of gin use such wildly different botanicals from each other, it is actually kind of fun to order a gin and tonic and one venue and then at another. It is easy to pick out the completely different flavor profiles, often by brand. Not many people can do that with other spirits. For example, you might not be able to tell if a bartender is using Tito’s Vodka or Grey Goose in your mixed drink, but you can almost always tell one botanical from another in gin. One of my faves, by the way, is Nolet’s Gin.
Speed (or lack thereof ). I want people moving—fast. I always have a sense of urgency when I am working, and it is compounded because my cocktails often require lots of steps. Every second counts to me, and I need it to count to everyone else too.
What is your go-to drink when you’re at a bar other than your own? Alison Bailin Batz » The Entertainer!
M
ixologist Richie Moe grew up working in the restaurant industry with his family, but sought a different
career route. A onetime aspiring amateur chemist considering a career in movie pyrotechnics, Moe moved to Phoenix after high school and began lighting up the Arizona bar scene brighter than any fake fire in Hollywood. He never looked back. Some know Moe as one of the original team members at Cowboy Ciao, where he and his team helped start the food and cocktail revolution that is so prevalent in the Valley. Others are fans from his days as one of the founders of Citizen Public House and The Gladly. With a vast knowledge of food and beverage, Moe—who has also worked with the likes of Binkley Restaurant Group and Kazimierz World Wine bar—is among the leaders when it comes to pushing the envelope of creativity in cocktails. Today, Moe is proud to be beverage director for Square One Concepts, which includes creating eye-popping cocktails and beverage programs for Bourbon & Bones Chophouse & Bar and Crab & Mermaid Fish House. The Entertainer recently sat down with this flavor (and fire)-loving mixology master to dish on drinks and more.
Tell me about the oddest drink request you’ve gotten. Well, the oddest actual drink request came from a regular of mine for years and years. Her drink of choice was a “white zinfandel martini.” I know what you are thinking. That makes no sense. But it is just what it sounds—a generous pour of white zinfandel mixed with…wait for it…olive juice. She liked it on the rocks. And while that actual request was odd, I am sure readers here are familiar with Last Slinger Standing, the annual event during Arizona Cocktail Week where we invite United States Bartenders Guild (USBG) chapters from Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah to compete against each other for the coveted “Centennial Cup,” a cash prize and a donation to their USBG chapter. What readers might not know, however, is that each year several of us like to bring completely off-the-wall ingredients to challenge each other with. A few years ago, they really got me, challenging me to use salted plum vinegar to make a cocktail. Although labeled as vinegar, this horrible stuff is actually the liquid left after Japanese nanko plums (they’re called plums in Japan but are technically more like little apricots) are preserved by brining with sea salt and red or purple shiso leaves. The mixture is allowed to ferment in barrels for a year. The sea salt draws the liquid from the plums and the shiso leaves give the brined fruits and liquid their natural pink tint.
Because my go-to drinks are Irish and Canadian whiskies as well as my bourbon sippers—maybe with a little water or soda on the side—I often try to seek out the fellow bartenders I admire the most and sample anything they recommend. I especially love anything from Clint Spotleson, who just joined Second Story
What does ordering a gin and tonic say about a person?
What is one cocktail would love for us to feature in the magazine this month? Our Bourbon & Bones House Manhattan is killer.
What do you like about this drink?
CHOSEN COCKTAIL RECIPE
Bourbon & Bones House Manhattan 2.75 oz Woodford Reserve Bourbon 1.25 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth 1 bar spoon Grade A Maple Syrup 3 dashes of house Blackbone Bitters
I love that we start with a good base whiskey in Woodford Reserve. Then, to bring out a little more of the sweetness in the whiskey, we actually use just a touch of Grade A maple syrup. For our vermouth, we use Carpano “Antica Formula” Sweet Vermouth, which is so good. The recipe hasn’t changed since it was developed in Italy in the 1700s. For the topper, we make our own bitters in house. For this recipe, we use our “Black Bone Bitters,” which we finish with a bit a pipe tobacco to really give the cocktail a kick. The drink is stirred and served in a 10-ounce martini glass with an orange peel and cherry. It’s smooth with an unbelievable depth and really bridges the gap between folks who’ve been drinking traditional Manhattans since WWII and those who are new to it but really to dive in to something special. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM