Savory Sips

Cocktails with unexpected vegetal, herbaceous and earthy ingredients

By Alison Bailin Batz

Savory cocktails that blend bold, unexpected ingredients into sippable sensations that awaken the palate in surprising ways are trending at bars and eateries Valleywide.

Welcome to Lombardi’s
Platform 18 at Century Grant

Whole San Marzano tomatoes are the secret to this cocktail’s surprising flavor profile. They are blended with rum, chili liqueur, bourbon, water, and a pinch of sugar. The mixture is clarified with mozzarella cheese and then carbonated. It is finished with an oregano tincture and garnished with a crunchy black pepper parmesan crisp. $19. www.bartershake.com/platform-18.

Dilluxe Marg
Isabella’s Kitchen at Greyhawk Golf Club

This bold twist on a classic margarita blends smooth Flecha Azul Reposado Tequila with the tangy punch of dill pickle brine. Cointreau orange liqueur as well as fresh lime juice and agave nectar are added to balance it all out, and the cocktail is served over ice with a tangy pickle spear. $17. www.isabellaskitchen.com.

Ring My Bell
Renata’s Hearth

Think of this as a drinkable garden in a glass. To make, yellow bell peppers are muddled with agave nectar that has been infused with fresh basil. The herbaceous ingredients are then mixed with tequila and Yellow Chartreuse, which is a lightly spicy liqueur with notes of honey, saffron, and anise. The drink is served up with a whole Tinkerbell pepper as garnish. $23. www.renatashearth.com.

The Seaward
COURSE

This cocktail starts with Strawberry Chobani-washed vodka that is clarified with queso-fresco cheese for salinity. It is then combined with almond butter-infused rum, orange gin, passion fruit juice, and a housemade tomato water. Once chilled and strained, it is served over a big cube of ice and garnished with tomato pearls. $18. www.courserestaurantaz.com.

Colonel Mustard’s Revenge
Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour

Smooth potato vodka allies with tomato water and celery bitters in this cocktail, but that is just the beginning. Once combined, the ingredients are paired with Colman’s English Mustard honey syrup and a touch of lime. The cocktail is carbonated for an extra kick before it arrives at the table. $16. www.bitterandtwistedaz.com.

Breaking Bread
The Cave at Quartz

This warm, rich cocktail draws inspiration from smoky Middle Eastern flavors. The drink is a wild combination of Hendrick’s stone fruit Grand Cabaret Gin, Drambuie honey liqueur, and peaty Scotch, all stirred together with smoked eggplant puree sourced from a Phoenix Middle Eastern market as well as sesame tahini, apricot, and ginger-lime cordial. Paprika-spiced Peychaud’s Bitters and a hint of olive wood smoke finish the build. It is served over a large ice cube, garnished with a crisp eggplant chip, and served under a cloche with fragrant olive wood smoke. $20. www.quartzphx.com.

The Trees Have Eyes
Clever Koi Phoenix

A nod to the forest in both flavor and name, this cocktail blends rosemary and pine nut-infused gin with a balancing Montenegro amaro, lemon and lime juices, and a touch of IPA syrup for subtle hops and malt. Trinity bitters add complexity and lift to sip. Stirred and served in a hurricane glass with ice and garnished with rosemary sprig, it boasts perfect earthy, nutty notes. $16. www.cleverkoi.com.