Monday Morning Espresso Martini
With leftover wine on her mind, Bartender Liz Pearce builds an espresso martini.
PHOTO: BRADLEY DANNER
Stone fruit, red berry, chocolate, citrus peel, violet, honey, almonds, baking spices. It wouldn't be unusual for a roaster to pinpoint these ˙lavors and aromas in a cup of specialty coˆfee. The profi le that caught Liz Pearce's attention, though, was red wine.
Pearce has tended bar at Chicago's Aviary, Drawing Room, and The Gage, and she led the cocktail program at The Dri˘ter before joining forces with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises this year. In her new role, Pearce is developing drinks for Aba, the “brother” restaurant to C.J. Jacobson's Mediterranean-Middle Eastern restaurant, ma. Aba will follow ma's fresh-Med thread while featuring more meat, which means “more masculine, deep red wines” on the list, according to Pearce.
With wine on her mind, Pearce conceptualized an updated espresso martini with Metric Coˆfee's espresso, Grey Goose vodka, and Pinot Noir syrup. “I have tons of Pinot Noir—it's always in the restaurant. I took bottles that had been opened during service and repurposed the le˘tovers by making a syrup with demerara, cinnamon, and the wine.” And since her menu at Aba must be roo˘top-ready and refreshing, she added a splash of Framboise to add a little “somethin’ somethin’.”
Pearce has also traveled to France to experience Grey Goose production fi rsthand. “When you see the wheat in Picardy, meet Francois [Thibault, the distiller], and smell the air and water, it's incredible. It's such a pretty vodka with a nice sweetness to it.”
With the powers of espresso, vino, and vodka combined, you have a bright, fruity, caˆfeinated cocktail ready to rock summer in Chicago.
