THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2016
THE NIGHTOWL
103
SIP » UNLEASH » MIX » MINGLE » PULSE » SHAKE
MAD MIXOLOGIST
Getting down and dirty with the Valley’s hottest shot slingers night—need everything in its place. If someone comes and messes with the area or leaves it wrecked, it can really throw off a bartender’s entire flow for the evening. A close second: When a customer wants to get in front of others at the bar so begins waving me down in an attempt to get me to ignore my other guests and see to them first.
What is your go-to drink when you’re at a bar other than your own? At a bar, I love an Old Fashioned, preferably with rye. But at my home bar, I like to give it my own little twist. I pour WhistlePig Rye Whiskey over a large ice cube and garnish with a Luxardo cherry, but then before drinking I add a teaspoon of the cherry juice to the drink for a little added sweetness. It is a perfect combination.
life—and bonus points to him for finding a great way to show off the flavor of mezcal. For those who don’t know, in simple terms, mezcal is to tequila as bourbon is to whisky – meaning all bourbons are actually a type of whiskey, but not all whiskies are strictly bourbons. And while tequila can only be called tequila if it’s made with blue agave, mezcal can be produced from 30-plus different varieties of agave, including blue agave. Because of this distinction, mezcals vary in flavor much more so than tequilas do, and they often have a fine smokiness to them. This bartender’s cocktail inspired us to make our own version, now available for $9.
What does ordering vodka tonic say about a person?
Alison Bailin Batz » The Entertainer!
A
fter graduating from UA, Miguel Lerma moved back to his hometown of Phoenix to work in the Mill Avenue bar scene, which at that time included work for Mill Avenue Beer Company and Rio Salado Brewery. And while he started as more of a “beer guy,” Lerma really enjoyed the time he spent behind the bar making cocktails. So much so, in fact, when Lerma was offered a part-time job bartending at the soon-to-open Sierra Bonita Grill, he jumped at the chance. That was in April 2005—and Lerma has been there ever since. Today, as the bar manager and resident margarita maestro at Sierra Bonita Grill, Lerma oversees the North Central Phoenix mainstays wildly popular cocktail and beverage program, which has sold more than $2 million in margaritas in the past decade.
Tell me about the oddest drink request you’ve heard. Once, a guest came in and ordered a Johnnie Walker Blue Label...and Coke. Ordering a whiskey and Coke itself is not odd. But choosing Johnnie Walker Blue as the whiskey is beyond odd. It’s an amazing—and very expensive—whiskey blend made from some of Scotland’s most rare and exceptional Scotch Whiskies. Only one in every 10,000 casks even makes the cut to be a given the Johnnie Walker Blue Label stamp of approval. As such, mucking it up with Coke is often seen by whiskey drinkers as sacrilegious and crazy pricey. A shot of this whiskey can cost upward of $65.
What is your No. 1 pet peeve when working? In the bar business, cleanliness is next to Godliness. We are creatures of habit who—especially when it is a busy
It usually means they won’t be partaking in any of our more decadent appetizers or entrees—and surely skipping dessert. Seriously though, it usually means they are calorie conscious, which actually works for us, as we have a great gluten-free menu and heathy items I can recommend. Not to mention, we serve a killer skinny margarita that blows the doors off the vodka tonic for about the same calorie count.
What is one cocktail you would love for us to feature in the magazine this month? It’s a newer one for us—the piña ahumada.
What do you like about this drink? First, the story of how it got on the menu is great. I was in Tulum, Mexico, this summer for a little vacation. After a while, I couldn’t take ordering yet another supersweet piña colada. So, I started talking to the bartender, and he made me his special piña ahumada, which is Spanish for smoky pineapple. To make it, he used a smoky mezcal rather than tequila and paired it with fresh pineapple and a cayenne-salted rim. I am not sure I have ever had a more balanced drink in my
PINA AHUMADA
1 ounce Nuestra Soledad Mezcal 1 ounce Stiggins’ Fancy Plantation Pineapple Rum 3/4 ounce Ancho Reyes Ancho Chile Liqueur 1/2 ounce lime juice 1/2 ounce pineapple juice 1/2 ounce cinnamon syrup Cayenne salt (for rim) Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Rim a bucket glass with cayenne salt. Strain shaker contents into glass over a large ice cube.
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