Inside Baptiste and Bottle, Chef Richard Sandoval’s newest project high on the 20th floor of the Windy City’s Conrad hotel, you might be safe from Chicago’s notoriously harsh winter weather, but order this cocktail and you’re likely to be engulfed in a cloud of fog. To add some showmanship to the art of cocktailing, beverage director Michael Fawthrop has created an array of bar cart beverages to be mixed right at your table, and the Curtsy and a Bow is a spectacle of flavors and theatrical whimsy.
“It’s prepared tableside to give diners a bit of a show too. I start with a base of Basil Hayden and add three types of bitters and orgeat. I then create a tonka fog that spreads over the cocktail, while the aroma permeates it,” says Michael Fawthrop. Dry ice and hot water create the fog, while the elusive (and technically illegal) tonka bean adds notes of vanilla. But if the fog is an impressive special effect, the real star of this show is the bourbon.
“Curtsy and a Bow is a cocktail with a connection to the past and shows how progressive Chicago is. Basil Hayden is one of the oldest bourbons from Kentucky and a staple for any bourbon-lover,” says Fawthrop.
CURTSY AND A BOW
2 oz. Basil Hayden Bourbon
1/4 oz. Orgeat or almond syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 dashes Orange bitters
2 dashes Absinthe
Tonka fog:
1 Tonka bean
Pinch of dry ice
2 oz Hot water
Combine all of the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir 22 times or until ingredients are cold. Strain into a glass. In a separate container combine the tonka bean and a pinch of dry ice. Pour the hot water in the container and watch the fog roll in over your cocktail. Remove the cocktail from the fog and enjoy!
