Like its adjacent sister restaurant, Valentine, Bar 1912 writes love letters to Arizona, using local ingredients to honor the state’s varied landscapes and historic industries. Of the five “5C” cocktails on the menu, Cattle is the most elegant – a smoky, ambrosial riff on the Manhattan made with sweet vermouth and a blend of Old Overholt rye whiskey, Whiskey Del Bac Dorado (a mesquite-smoked single-malt whiskey from Tucson) and Tapatio Excelencia Extra Añejo, all fat-washed together in beef tallow. Served in a mesquite-smoked coupe, the drink is a knockout of campfire aromas and soft, silky texture, offering flavors of honey, vanilla, caramel, nuts and dried fruit. To say it’s exquisite wouldn’t be overstatement.
Planning is essential for this one. Add 2 oz. fat-washed rye, whiskey and tequila blend* and 1 oz. high-quality sweet vermouth to mixing vessel. Place small bundle of mesquite chips on tempered plate, light chips and place cocktail glass over fire to extinguish it and trap smoke. Add ice to mixing vessel and stir briefly to chill. Flip over smoked glass and strain the cocktail into it for a divine bovine-themed sipper.
*In a bowl, whisk together equal parts rye, whiskey, tequila and tallow until the tallow congeals into pea-size curds. Pour mixture into a quart jar, seal and infuse for seven days at room temperature. Place jar in freezer for 12 hours to solidify fat, then pour the liquid slowly through a fine sieve. Store at a cool temperature for up to two months.
$18
Bar 1912
4130 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix
602-612-2961, 1912phx.com
