Explore the unexpected ingredient behind a new wave of savory cocktails
A few years ago, fat-washed spirits were all the rage, as bartenders infused whiskey and gin with rich, savory flavors like bacon, duck fat, and brown butter. Now some of the city’s most creative mixologists are adapting the technique with an unexpected salty, pungent ingredient: cheese. The resulting combinations are complex and surprisingly delicious, creating an array of cheese-washed concoctions for cocktail fans to explore.
The Archer
How does one decide to infuse gin with goat cheese and blend it with blackberry, lemon, grapefruit, and thyme? “We were pushing ourselves to think outside the box with fresh ingredients,” says Damien Edens, bar manager at The Archer. “What about goat cheese and blackberries? It’s a classic combination.” They started with a simple blackberry syrup and tinkered with the ratio of cheese to gin for the washing, then asked, “Where else can it go?” The other savory, herbaceous elements followed from there. It may be called the Black Sheep, but it’s a much-loved member of the Archer’s cocktail flock. 601 Meeting St., www.thearchercharleston.com
The Archer
Yes, two cheese-based cocktails at one bar! With a triangle of Manchego cheese perched on the rim, Say Cheese is The Archer’s homage to the now-departed Martinez at Proof Bar (now 100 Proof). It’s a reverse martini, swapping the usual gin-to-vermouth ratio and infusing the gin with cheese rinds. “I wanted another savory martini,” Edens explains. “The kitchen uses Manchego for our big salad, and I wanted to go no-waste with it because they’re throwing the rinds away.” Those scraps are now put to excellent use, imparting a funky saltiness to the gin, that’s beautifully balanced by sweet vermouth, apple brandy, and black lemon. 601 Meeting St., www.thearchercharleston.com
La Cave
The fromage-washed Martini de Luxe is the headline cocktail at La Cave, the stylish King Street sipping lounge. “It’s basically a dirty Vesper,” explains bartender Andy Michota, referring to a briny version of the Lillet-laced martini sipped by James Bond in Casino Royale. “We take goat cheese oil and chilled vodka and combine those,” Michota says, “then we put that in the freezer overnight and strain it through a coffee filter.” The finished spirit is clear, silky, and not a bit cheesy. Instead, the cheese comes on the side, in the form of a delicious caviar-topped cheese crisp that serves more as a snack than a garnish—deluxe, indeed. 550 King St., www.lacavechs.com
The Belmont
The Feta Morgana at The Belmont is an intriguingly sweet but vegetal blend of feta-washed gin shaken with a purée of roasted grapes, honey, and thyme. The feta’s sharp, salty bite lingers briefly on the back of the tongue but fades away almost like a mirage against the more savory components. With a kiss of lemon and droplets of olive oil topping the thyme-accented foam, the complex flavors evoke a fantastical afternoon on the Mediterranean. 511 King St., www.thebelmontcharleston.com
King BBQ
“I wanted to make a salad in a glass,” says Tia Edens, bar manager at King BBQ. “My favorite salads in the summer always feature some sort of feta or goat cheese and something that has a sweet element.” So, she created the Karma Chameleon, a vivid purple martini variation that blends beet-infused gin and feta-washed vermouth with balsamic simple syrup, basil eau de vie, sherry vinegar, and lemon. For a big, sweet finish, she tops the tall-stemmed glass with a swirl of bright ube-coconut foam. 2029 Carver Ave., North Charleston; www.eatkingbbq.com
The fat-washing technique is widely credited to New York bartender Eben Freeman at WD-50, and it was popularized by Don Lee at Please Don’t Tell (PDT) with the bar’s now iconic Benton’s Old-Fashioned—a North-meets-South mash-up featuring bourbon washed with smoky Benton’s bacon from Tennessee and sweetened with maple syrup.
The fat-washing process is conceptually simple. First, take your spirit and add whatever fatty ingredient you are using (cheese, in this instance) and let it infuse for several hours. Next, chill the mixture in the freezer until the fat solidifies, skim it off, and fine-strain the liquid. The resulting spirit retains the infused flavors and just enough residual fat to impart a smooth, almost creamy mouthfeel.
