Savory cocktails, like cold pizza and red eye gravy, are becoming popular
One of my favorite mixed drinks is a 2-to-1 Plymouth martini with three olives. (Always ask for odd-numbered garnishes, friends–even numbered garnishes are bad luck.) But I’ve never liked dirty martinis–I like getting a hint of salty olive brine in the dregs of the drink, but no more than that. And I like a Bloody Mary, but only on airplanes for some reason. Otherwise ‘savory’ drinks aren’t for me. (My best friend once remarked that my preferred flavor profile for alcoholic drinks was ‘paint thinner and licorice’ and I stand by that). Needless to say I was both a little disgusted and darkly fascinated when I learned that savory cocktails are apparently on the rise. If you have a delicate stomach, there are stormy waters ahead–proceed with caution. I’m about to spoil your appetite.
Savory are drinks becoming popular because of mocktails(?): Margaret Eby, deputy food editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer, believes that increased interest in savory cocktails is directly connected to the growing popularity of mocktails. “The feedback is that every non-alcoholic standard drink that you get is really sweet,” says Eby, who jokingly refers to some savory cocktails as “hard soups.” She points out that many staple cocktail ingredients, like fruit juices and simple syrups, normally have their sweet flavors offset by alcohol. But when you cut out the vodka or whiskey, the sweetness stands out a lot more.
Beef, mushrooms, and corn husks in drinks: Hong Kong bar The Savory Project, which opened in May 2023, celebrates a range of ingredients not typically spotted on cocktail menus, such as beef jerky and corn husks. “We’re not shy of using ingredients that are not common in drinks,” explains co-owner Jay Khan. “For example, using beef, using different types of fungi, like mushrooms and stuff. We play around with whatever we can think of and then try and replicate that into a drink.”
NYC hotspot Double Chicken Please has a savory cocktail “back room” section: In the back room, nine core cocktails are listed on the menu broken down into three sections: “appetizers,” “main courses,” and “desserts,” just like a food menu. In the first group, there are drinks inspired by Waldorf salad and Japanese cold noodles; in the middle section there’s a cocktail called Cold Pizza that contains parmesan cheese.
Double Chicken Please has a cocktail with gravy in it: One of the menu’s standout items is something that Tako Chang, Double Chicken Please’s manager of brand marketing and communications, calls a “reverse pairing.” Red Eye Gravy is inspired by the popular Southern meal of country ham with gravy poured on top. But here, the roles are switched: the gravy – in this case, a mix of Irish whisky, coffee, butter and mushroom – is the centerpiece, while a piece of prosciutto is just a garnish instead of the star.
Not to get too salty (I couldn’t resist) but this is some malarkey. Tomfoolery. Bamboozlement. When it comes to cocktails I am a big fan of the very old school drinks, and I mean, like, 1856 kind of old school. Looking through old cocktail books (or a compilation of historical recipes like David Wondrich’s landmark, essential book Imbibe), you see people trying things out and making some weird cocktails. But you almost never see recipes from that time that use beef broth or other savory things. I think that’s for a reason. I think some frontiers ought not to be crossed. This also reminds me of that new olive oil coffee that Starbucks is trying to make happen. I think it’s going over about as well as “New Coke” did. Innovation has its time and place but when it comes to food and drink, I’d rather experience a simple thing done well, than something primarily designed to get headlines. And while I agree that most mocktails are way too sweet, I don’t believe there is a genuine demand for savory mocktails at this point beyond, say, a virgin Bloody Mary. Also I LOLed at “reverse pairing.” It sounds like a euphemism for…something.
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