Embracing the new while perfecting the classics are elements of a modern cocktail menu according to Inn by the Sea's Food & Beverage Director Shayne Conlon
Mixing it up¦.
There's a cocktail revolution going on, says Sea Glass Food & Beverage Director Shayne Conlon. Bartenders are using improved ingredients and have mastered techniques that give customers good reason to settle in next to the fire with a creatively conceived drink.
The modern cocktail movement is defined by hand crafted elements stirred up by trend setting mixologists so it is no surprise Nielson's CGA survey found that 23% of Americans regularly drink cocktails away from home, at bars.
Cocktail trends are no longer just about having a cocktail; it's more about the experience, says Conlon. It's time to dump that evening G&T staple and celebrate life's highs and lows with a contemporary version of the classic- try instead a barrel-aged, locally distilled gin cocktail- or a signature beverage with a chef driven approach to seasonality with regionally sourced ingredients.
Here's what trending! Cheers!
Boozie Smoothies:
Far more fun than last year's Margarita fad, frozen milkshakes or boozie ice cream drinks are creative, use seasonal fruits, produce or chocolate and double as all day drinks and dessert.
On site Barrel Aged Local Spirits:
In house barrel ageing produces unique cocktails with complex, layered flavors and depth for patrons who love to experiment. Sea Glass Bartenders add signature flavors with local produce or house made infusions to hyper local spirits such as Bar Hill, or New England Distilling or Portland's Stroudwater Distillery spirits and barrel age it for weeks. The result is a full bodied, enriched, nuanced cocktail. Ask Shayne about what is currently ageing in Sea Glass.
Locally Produced Spirits:
The locavore movement in food has moved to the bar scene with patrons interested in learning sourcing for ingredients and the back stories for local beer, wine and spirit producers. The trend encompasses premium craft liquor produced by small distilleries with unique flavors and a hyper local brand. Happily, New England and Greater Portland are at the center of the micro brew, winery and locally distilled spirit movement with dozens of hi end brands produced nearby. Sea Glass has a deep wine cellar and inventory of local offerings.
Culinary Cocktails:
Created with a chef's farm to table ethos, drinks are constructed with seasonal, regionally sourced culinary aspects and ingredients borrowed from the kitchen. Mixologists create dynamic flavor combinations with infusions, purees, smoke or aromas formerly reserved for chefs. Culinary cocktails have a food element, offer food flavors or create the idea of a meal in a glass.
Sea Glass Lounge at Inn by the Sea on Crescent Beach is open daily to the public, year round at Inn by the Sea. Enjoy cocktails al fresco on the seaside decks or inside the intimate restaurant or Fireplace lounge, at 40 Bowery Beach Road, in Cape Elizabeth. www.innbythesea.com 207.799.3134