BARLEY

CELEBRITY SOUP

BARFLY

FELTON DRINKING GLASSES

Delicate vertical ribs on the interiors of these beautifully simple cocktail glasses give the vessels a refined air and subtly faceted look. Perfect for serving lemonade, sparkling water and cocktails, the highball and double oldfashioned glasses suit casual and elegant occasions alike and clean up easily in the dishwasher. $4 / Crateandbarrel.com

Skal Event at Maggiano’s

2022 Hispanic Business Conference

MEET, PALOMA

Let us introduce you to margarita’s cousin.

Mexico’s contribution to the cocktail canon is extensive. Just look at the Margarita. Well, Palmoa is the runner up! (along with many others)

The Paloma is a refreshing, easy-to-make drink that combines tequila, lime juice and grapefruit soda/juice. Its origin story is uncertain, but most reports say its creation is in the 1950s. Blanco tequila is the traditional choice, but lightly aged reposado also makes a fine drink. In this case, it’s best to keep the añejo capped, as the well-aged expression’s oaky profile disrupts that clean, refreshing taste you want in a Paloma.

In Mexico, Jarritos soda is a popular choice for adding the effervescent grapefruit note. This brand is relatively easy to find stateside, particularly in grocery stores that stock Mexican foods and ingredients. However, as bartenders continue to embrace fresh juice in their cocktails, it has become increasingly common to use fresh grapefruit juice in place of the grapefruit soda. If you want to go that route, you can complement the juice with unflavored sparkling water to achieve the necessary bubbly effect. This combination yields a similar cocktail, so it’s worth the experiment. But grapefruit soda is the more traditional choice when making Palomas.

Some people may also choose to rim the glass with salt, while others add a pinch of salt straight into the glass. This step isn’t necessary, but it does add a savory quality that melds beautifully with the earthy tequila and tart grapefruit. And it opens the possibility of using a spiced salt, like Tajín, for an extra seasoning kick.

Because the Paloma is constructed right in the glass, you don’t need any bar tools to make it. Just add your ingredients to a highball glass with ice, and you’re ready to enjoy a refreshing cocktail.

101 GLASSWARE

By Travis Joiner

We all walk into the bar and usually order our regular cocktail without thinking twice. No matter what your elixir of choice is you know what you drink and what it tastes like. What if I told you the glass that holds your spirit preference makes a difference to your experience? Would that make you pay attention to what vessel you sip from the next time you are at your favorite watering hole? I promise you will appreciate your bartender who knows what glass to use even more the next time you belly up to the bar.

Most of us have a go to cocktail when we go out to a bar or restaurant. No matter where you are in the world your cocktail should conform to the glass in your hand. Vodka and soda is your choice; a rocks glass is placed in front of you without a second thought from you. A mojito is served in a tall glass with a straw and the ever-present mint and lime mingling together among the ice. A snifter gets pulled out after a dinner party for cognac and the like. But have you ever wondered why? There is a method to the madness that we would usually overlook. Most bars will serve a cocktail or liquor in a few glasses that should be found in all bars universally. You have the all-purpose rocks glass aka Old Fashioned or double Old Fashioned glass. There is also the Collins glass, snifter, martini and the list goes on. I want to focus on the glassware you find most often in the bar, the rocks glass. Whether you realize it or not this glass helps accentuate the flavors that make you cherish the drink that sits in front of you. A single liquor drink on the rocks, with muddled fruit, bitters or a mixer is the classic drink that ends up in this style of glass. A usually short and wide brim allows you to take in the aromas and flavors that are mixed within. This style of glass affects both your taste and your sense of smell in a positive way. It is my favorite glass because it serves as the bartenders’ multi-tool behind the bar.

If you want your whiskey neat this is the glass I would use to highlight the flavor and style of the spirit. The size and shape allows the spirit to open up and reveal the magic and hard work that went into creating something meant to please. The Old Fashioned cocktail is proof that this type of glass is the perfect choice so much that it is usually called an Old Fashioned glass. The classic Old Fashioned features not only your favorite whiskey but the addition of bitters, sugar and finished with a cherry and orange slice. Take a sip of one of these and you understand why it earned the right to have its moniker attached to a style of glassware. The whiskey and bitters open up and meld nicely on that first taste while the cherry and orange tickle your nose like a fruit filled feather floating up from the glass. If this was in a Collins glass, tall and thin, it would lose something without question. It might seem like a little thing but these little nuances add up to build a great cocktail experience.

Cocktails that contain a single liquor and mixer on the rocks are most often found in this type of glass as well. The same reasoning applies as the wide style of the glass allows the liquid within to become a harmonious blend that pleases our senses and usually ends up in the classic saying, “Bartender, hit me again.” One of the trends that is a perfect fit for the rocks glass is a large sphere of ice usually surrounded by bourbon or scotch. This glass allows the igloo size chunk of ice to slowly melt and let the chosen liquor in the rocks glass be the star.

I would be willing to bet that most of us do not even give it a second thought when it comes to which type of glass ends up in front of us or why. No matter how you prefer your cocktail be sure to know there was some thought in choosing the right glassware to fit the drink. There really is a reason behind the many shapes and sizes of the glassware that is awaiting the next cocktail behind the bar. Of those choices the rocks glass reigns supreme because of its versatility and ability to deliver and delight your senses in more ways than one.