Bottega - Michael Chiarello [91]
Garnishes
When I sit at the bar, the garnishes have to look fresh and interesting, and I also want them to reflect the seasons. At Bottega, you’ll see earthen-ware bowls full of clean, bright basil leaves sitting on the bar, ready to be spanked. You’ll see slices of blood orange when it’s in season, house-cured olives in the autumn for our martinis, and, in summer, lavender that Michael Iglesias brings from his garden. To me, this inspires confidence in a bar chef, and it’s something to consider when setting up cocktail garnishes at home. When the ingredients for the bar are fresh, beautiful, and homegrown, you know the drinks will exceed your expectations.
Floated, Not Hung
We like to float a garnish in the drink or—in the case of the amarena cherry in our Manhattan—let it sink to the bottom. When citrus fruit is hung from the glass rim, most folks can’t resist giving it a squeeze before dropping it into the cocktail. A good cocktail is already well balanced and doesn’t benefit from that extra citrus.
Stir It, Don’t Shake It
Here’s the deal with shaken versus stirred: When you shake a liquor, especially gin, you will cloud the liquid. If you stir it instead, after you strain the drink it’s still crystal clear. Some people believe that only shaking can make a cocktail ultra-cold, but stirring vigorously with an up-and-down motion—until the outside of the glass feels ice-cold to your fingers—is how it’s done at Bottega.
Negroni
MAKES 1 COCKTAIL
If I were James Bond (an Italian Bond, of course), a Negroni would be my drink. It’s a masculine drink, not sweet but with huge flavors. It commands the question, “What’s that you’re drinking?” One reason I love this drink so much is that the bitter tinge gets your palate ready for a meal.
We have to admit a small bias for 209 gin, because Distillery No. 209 began here in St. Helena. (Why should local be reserved for vegetables?) Leslie Rudd, owner of Distillery No. 209, makes an artisan gin that is crisp with bright notes of citrus and spice. Punt e Mes adds floral botanical notes to the drink. This Negroni is simple, classic—perfect.
1 ounce dry gin, preferably No. 209
1 ounce sweet vermouth, preferably Punt e Mes
1 ounce Campari
Ice cubes
1 orange slice for garnish (blood orange, when in season)
Pour the gin, vermouth, and Campari into a heavy tumbler half-filled with ice. Stir vigorously until the outside of the glass feels ice-cold to the touch. Strain into a martini glass, and gently drop the orange slice into the drink.
St. Helena Dirty Martini
MAKES 1 COCKTAIL
Any drink worth having is worth having dirty. If it’s not a veteran chef’s proverb, it should be. If I’m at a cocktail party, and there’s no dinner planned for afterward, this is my drink of choice (even if it’s tough to get a crispy olive at other folks’ bars). Marko Karakasevic and his father, Miles, make exquisite vodkas right here in the Napa Valley. Marko is one of the local artisans who makes me happy to call St. Helena home. He is the thirteenth-generation spiritsmaker in his family, and the vodkas, tequilas, and wines made by Charbay Distillery all find their way to Bottega.
When my wife and I married, Marko made the drinks for our wedding. He came with big plastic containers filled with drinks that were ready to be poured into pitchers. It was an eye-opener for me that drinks made ahead of time could taste so perfect. (Yes, the fact that it was our wedding made everything taste better, but I’ve had his drinks since, and they still rank high in my esteem.) The moral of the story: Don’t be afraid to make your drinks before the party begins.
2 ounces vodka, preferably St. Helena Domaine