Happy hour used to equate watered down well drinks and discounted beers. But at the Silver Trumpet Restaurant and Bar at the Avenue of the Arts Hotel, lead bartender/chief mixologist Grace LaPointe updates the menu for a sophisticated audience.
LaPointe does this by showing off her collaborative efforts, starting with the “After Dusk” cocktail. A sophisticated and original blend of small-batch mezcal, Grand Marnier Raspberry Peach, elderflower liqueur and muddled blackberries frothed with egg white, the first sip perfectly complements the reverie of watching the late afternoon sun wane down past South Coast Plaza.
Led by LaPointe, the Silver Trumpet beverage team convenes a tasting lab twice a year to experiment collaboratively and concoct new seasonal cocktails to audition for the menu. “I’m always looking for something new,” she says. “I’m trying to find ways to infuse new flavors into classic drinks. One example: her “Huckleberry Lemon Drop.”
As the bartending protégé Russell Hernandez vigorously muscles his cocktail shaker, he explains, “I like to explore darker spirits like bourbon or whiskey for fall or work in all-spice or cinnamon.” Their format is “quick craft,” meaning the recipes are devised for efficient execution – you won’t have to wait 20 minutes for the mixology magic to arrive.
Though it may still be broad daylight, another sip of the “After Dusk” provides a silken balm, the dab of egg white lending lustrous body to the smoky tang of the mezcal and berries. Executive chef Hector Zamora has an inside connection for the excellent Los Javis Espadin Mezcal, the only brand served here. “You’re not going to find this cocktail anywhere else!” LaPointe vows. But try it at home, anyway.
AFTER DUSK
3/4 ounce Los Javis Espadin Mezcal
3/4 ounce Grand Marnier Raspberry Peach
1/2 ounce St. Germain Elderflower liqueur
3/4 ounce simple syrup
1 ounce egg white
1/2 ounce lemon juice
5 blackberries
Dash simple syrup
METHOD
Dry-shake muddled blackberries, egg whites, simple syrup and lemon juice. Combine remaining ingredients and ice, shake well. Strain into a coupe glass.
Garnish with blackberry/ lemon twist skewer.
SILVER TRUMPET
3350 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa
:: silvertrumpetrestaurant.com
