Three New Cocktails to Try in Rhode Island
Local bartenders share the genius behind some of their best concoctions.
The Barbarella
Club Frills
Photo courtesy of Jesse Hedberg/Club Frills
“We start with a few housemade ingredients, including infused Japanese whiskey with preserved sakura flowers (cherry blossoms) and a salted fresh rhubarb puree. We could use lemon or lime juice here, but instead we make a solution of 6 percent citric acid dissolved in filtered water. This helps us achieve the acidity of citrus juice with a more neutral taste and a fraction of the prep time! Next, we add maraschino liqueur, cherry juice and Champagne cola and we clarify the whole thing with milk pureed with cream cheese. It tastes like bubblegum chocolate cherry cheesecake.” —Jesse Hedberg, co-owner of Club Frills, clubfrillspvd.com
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No. 14
Loma
Photo by Angel Tucker
“This low-ABV cocktail is crafted with cryo-concentrated sherry, vermouth, scotch, figs, green cardamom and chamomile. It undergoes a unique process of washing and clarification. First, Fino sherry is frozen to extract the alcohol, then a small amount of fig, chamomile, vermouth and scotch is added. Finally, the mixture is washed with Salvadoran crema. Loma’s No. 14 is inspired by the Bamboo cocktail, a classic sherry cocktail made with Amontillado
sherry, dry vermouth and bitters. The clarified drink has a slightly dry, salty and fruity flavor profile, and is served in a rocks glass with a perfectly cut cube of ice and garnished with dehydrated fig.” —Leishla Maldonado, beverage director and co-owner of Loma, instagram.com/loma_bar
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Betty Schweitzer
Clementine
A framed photograph of Jean-Marc Schweitzer’s grandmother, Betty Schweitzer, at Clementine’s bar.
“We take 8 ounces of steelhead oats per liter of whiskey and then toast the oats. Once the oats are fragrant, we remove them from the heat and add the Jameson whiskey. We then allow that to infuse for about three or four hours. It is ready when the whiskey has taken on a cloudy look and has a nutty/oaty finish on the palate. After this, we brown 4 ounces of butter per liter of oat whiskey, stir it together, and allow it to chill for up to forty-eight hours. For the actual drink, we adhere to the same specs of a traditional Old Fashioned recipe using walnut bitters in place of the classic angostura and an Irish breakfast tea-infused demerara syrup in place of a basic simple.” —Jean-Marc Schweitzer, manager of Clementine, clementinecocktailbar.com
