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MAD MIXOLOGIST
Getting down and dirty with the Valley’s hottest shot slingers
THE UN-BURNT 1.5 ounces Espolon Reposado 0.5 ounces Gosling’s Dark Rum 0.75 ounces fresh lemon juice 2 ounces charred orange-sage reduction (made in house daily)
Alison Bailin Batz » The Entertainer!
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rdi Dulaku’s road to mad mixology is atypical. During the Kosovo War in 1999, CNN aired live footage of refugees fleeing into Albania. A young Dulaku and his family were among them. Sedona resident Joan Shannon was watching and froze the screen to hone in on the family. She had an immediate and overwhelming urge to help them. She placed three ads in an Albanian newspaper, using the CNN screen shot image and urging the family to contact her so she could bring them to America. Thankfully, the Dulaku’s father saw the third and final advertisement while visiting a doctor’s office, and was moved to action, contacting her for next steps. Shannon made good on her promise and rallied her community to give the family housing, work, food and clothing. They arrived in Sedona to an outpouring of support, and remain there to this day. Eighteen years later, Dulaku and his brother, Destan, lead the nationally acclaimed cocktail program at Saltrock Southwest Kitchen, located at Kimpton Amara Resort and Spa. His cocktail menu is inspired by nature, his life in Kosovo and the lush Verde Valley. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM
Tell me about the oddest drink request you’ve gotten. There is nothing like being challenged to dream up a cocktail with—wait for it—corn fungus! True story: a fellow mixologist thought I could dream up a cocktail using huitlacoche. Pronounced weet-la-COH-cheh, it is an actual fungus that grows on ears of corn and wholly safe to eat. It is seen by many as a delicacy in Latin America, often called a Mexican truffle. Never one to shy from a challenge, I reduced the huitlacoche into a rich syrup and infused it with vermouth and used it to make an earthy Old Fashioned. What is your No. 1 pet peeve when working? At a hole-in-the-wall spot or even local pub, I totally understand customers customizing their cocktails to suit their tastes. But, when customers try to re-work our signature cocktails – often designed after months of trial and error – with their own preferences before trying them as-is, I can’t help but be a little disappointed. We choose our ingredients with care, and we won’t steer you wrong. What is your go-to drink when you’re at a bar other than your own? I usually like to start by ordering a basic classic cocktail at a bar – often a negroni – to sip on as I peruse the menu. If they
get a classic right, I am more apt to try something signature from their menu next, or take a chance with something really out of the box they recommend. I also love Mezcal, so I am always on the lookout for a brand I haven’t yet tried.
What does ordering a Jack and Coke say about a person? Hey, don’t judge a basic drink order – those are often the backbone of your business and the reason you have the seed money to experiment with more complex flavors and spirits! And, on a busy night, I am nothing but thankful for a basic Jack and Coke order or two. For some people, they just want a straightforward (and speedy to make) drink with no muss or fuss – and it is my job to pour it. Tell us about the cocktail program at saltrock? We try to do cocktails that are different but approachable, and always inspired by our own culture. My brother and I grew up in the vineyards of Kosovo, where the seasons solely dictated what we were eating and drinking. We had no access to processed food. We only had what was available from the land on that particular day or week. The outdoors and how things smell and taste in their original form always inspire our cocktails. As a result, we don’t have any flavor-infused spirits in house. Instead, we make our
1 dash Angostura bitters Rim glass with half chili salt and half regular salt and pour. Garnish with dehydrated and bruleed orange.
own. We also relish in using raw ingredients like shrubs and herbs versus buying processed anything for our menu. You’ll see homages to our heritage and that of the Southwest all over our menu, with each item made with care for the environment and our customers alike.
What is one cocktail would love for us to feature in the magazine this month? The Un-Burnt What do you like about this drink? In addition to being cocktail geeks here behind the bar, we are also huge Game of Thrones fans, often giving our custom cocktails a name in homage to something from the show. This one is in homage to lead character Daenerys Targaryen (also known as the Khaleesi and the Un-Burnt) and screams winter in the desert with its charred, smoky flavors made to sip on by a fire.
Saltrock Southwest Kitchen
100 Amara Lane, Suite 101, Sedona, 928.340.8803, saltrockkitchen.com.