Quick Bite: Charleston’s Top Cocktails
Cheers to the city’s most fashion-forward drinks and their makers
From left: Kiawah Island Golf Resort director of food and beverage Vipin Menon, Charleston editor-in-chief Darcy Shankland, and Inn at Palmetto Bluff executive chef Brandon Carter
Twenty local bartenders were invited to take on Ben Arnold Beverage Company’s CFW challenge: create a drink based on either Grey Goose vodka or Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey to complement the five nights of fashion in Marion Square. After an online vote by fans and fashionistas at charlestonfashionweek.com last winter, seven contenders moved on to the main event, a live competition at Mercury Lounge on Upper King Street. While thirsty partygoers enjoyed sipping the drinks, our panel of judges sampled each, scoring them according to originality, taste, and presentation. Meet our winning mixologists in the Style Lounge, and try the 2013 Top Cocktails for yourself.
Taste the Winning Results!
Charleston’s Top Cocktail winners will be pouring their drinks during the Style Lounge pre-parties on:
Wednesday, March 20, 6-7:30 p.m.
Sarah Martin, “Frankly Speaking”
Thursday, March 21, 6-7:30 p.m.
Jackson Holland, “Honey Hole”
Frankly Speaking
By Sarah Martin, Fish Restaurant
1 oz. Grey Goose Vodka
1/2 oz. Liquor 43 (Cuarenta Y Tres)
3 slices of freshly peeled ginger
1 tsp. agave nectar
1 oz. tamarind nectar (see below)
2 lime wedges
For the tamarind nectar:
Bartender’s note: Tamarind nectar can be purchased ready made, but it is full of high fructose corn syrup and preservatives. Tamarind pods are available most grocery stores, but it’s much easier to work with packages of seedless tamarind pulp, which can be purchased at specialty stores. Sarah bought hers at H&L Asian Market, 5300-1 Rivers Ave., North Charleston, (843) 745-9365, www.hnlasianmarket.com
1 (16 oz.) pkg. seedless tamarind
2 qts. water
2 qts. sugar,
Place first five ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Squeeze in lime juice from wedges. Shake well and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with orange peel and Kaffir lime leaf.
For the tamarind nectar:
Combine the ingredients in a large pot over medium-low heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool, then strain solids through a chinois. This will give you a paste. Add equal parts paste and water to get a nectar of juice consistency.
Honey Hole
By Jackson Holland, Cocktail Club
2 oz. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey
1 oz. apple-ginger reduction (see below)
1 oz. apple juice
Splash lemon juice
Apple skin twist for garnish
For the apple-ginger reduction:
1/2 gal. water
10-12 bags red tea (rooibos/African red preferred)
Splash of olive oil
Fresh ginger (a piece about the size of a man’s thumb), peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 apples (2 granny smith, 2 pink lady, and 2 red delicious), cored, seeded, and roughly chopped
1 spice bag (cheesecloth) filled with 2 broken cinnamon sticks, 4-5
cloves, and 4-5 allspice berries
Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a double old fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with apple skin twist.
For the apple-ginger reduction:
Pour water into a large stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil. Add tea bags, turn off heat, and let stand. In a second stockpot over medium heat, pour a splash of olive oil and saute ginger for approximately five minutes. Stir in wine, apples, and spice bag and cover, stirring occasionally, for five to 10 minutes, or until apples have softened and are releasing their juices. Remove tea bags from first pot. Pour tea into second pot with apples. Increase heat to medium-high and reduce for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove spice bag and let cool slightly. Purée the reduction with a hand blender, or in small batches in a blender. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. The apple-ginger reduction will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for up to a week, or longer if mixed with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey.
