Creative Mixologists

Over the years, I have had some wonderful cocktails made by very creative mixologists. I have nothing but respect for these talented people. The team at the Bar at Fort Nelson are my favorite mixologists in Louisville. I always look forward to sampling the new menu at the Bar at Fort Nelson. They create fantastic well-balanced cocktails that still allow the spirit to come forward. I thought I would look at some of my requirements for making a great cocktail.

A great cocktail, first of all, has to allow the whiskey to come out in the taste. It does not have to be the only flavor in the cocktail, but it needs to take center stage. Next, there has to be a balance of flavors between the other ingredients. If the cocktail has lemon juice for an example, it has to be tasted along with the other ingredients. I find that lemon juice can quickly overpower the overall flavor of a cocktail.

Finally, it needs to be a simple enough cocktail that it can be mixed in a few minutes. Some ingredients can be made in advance, but the final cocktail should be served within five minutes of it being mixed.

The cocktail can be a version of a classic cocktail such as a Manhattan. The Volare barrel aged Manhattan is a favorite of ours, but Rosemary had a Manhattan at Fine and Rare (Now the Flat Iron Room Murray Hill) in New York City, that was made with Armagnac that was excellent. The Bloody Truman at the former restaurant Dish in Louisville was their take on the Bloody Mary using Old Grand Dad Bourbon instead of vodka. It was an excellent cocktail.

The cocktail can be something based upon other cocktails. Last winter, the Bar at Fort Nelson made a hot toddy-like cocktail called the Golden Hour that was excellent. It was made with Michter’s Sour Mash, chai, turmeric, espresso, coconut, and oat milk and served warm. As long as the cocktail has whiskey flavor and is well balanced in its flavors, I consider it a good cocktail.

I have had some not so good cocktails in my lifetime. When I was doing the Bourbon Trail with Rosemary, I always got the bar’s signature cocktail and some were good cocktails, but a few were not. The not so good cocktails did not have a good Bourbon forward flavor and were usually just overly sweet to hide the fact that they were not whiskey forward. The experience made me appreciate a good mixologist. A good mixologist is a real find and it is no wonder that they switch jobs so often in American bars. I know in my travels to Great Britain, I went to many bars and the person behind the bar had been working there for years. The difference is that overseas, a bartender is seen as a worthy profession and they are paid accordingly. In America, the job is seen as nothing more than another service job by many bars. The mixologist with real talent will move on until they find a job that pays what they are worth. I suspect that many of America’s best mixologists end up working overseas. Which brings me back to the Bar at Fort Nelson. Many of their mixologists have been there for years and hopefully that means they are being compensated well and getting the respect they deserve.