Garden Cocktails Pop-up Bar
There’s something extra awesome about pop-up events. They have the allure of exclusivity, usually featuring something unique or limited. So when we heard about the Garden Cocktails pop-up bar, we knew FresYes had to try this. So two of us (Joanne and Jenna) eagerly signed up for the task.
Garden Cocktails is “an adventure in meticulously hand-crafted cocktails, using locally-sourced and grown produce coupled with unique, sophisticated infused spirits,” according to their website. This week, they are holding a pop-up Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m. at Campagnia’s and Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. at The Standard.
That’s how we found ourselves stumbling sober around The Standard last Friday night, trying to find the door. Separately, we did this, mind you. While sober. For the record, it’s around the right side of the building. We had actually never met before, and we immediately bonded over the fact that we both almost walked into Limon by mistake. Clearly we are two of a kind.
What we found inside was definitely worth the trip. Cocktail Chef Luke Fisher is basically a drink genius. He credits his inspiration to his mentor, Matthew Bianciello of L.A.’s Eat Your Drink, as well as “my mother’s love for gardening and flavor, and the natural gifts given to me by the Lord.” Just the amount of produce on his bar alone shows how seriously he takes his craft. And we were hooked at first taste.
The “Kentucky Bubble Bath” cocktail came by our table first in tiny, delectable sample glasses. We’re not sure what it had to do with either Kentucky or bubble bath (maybe because of the whiskey and lavender?), but as an introduction to what Luke can pull off, we heartily approved. We love flower flavors, which aren’t used a lot here in the US, and this had a solid lavender taste that really made the drink special.
Next, Jenna had “The Hipster” cocktail. It. Was. Amazing. The base is gin infused with rose hips, plus some lime juice, and of course, a layer of egg white froth on top, thick enough to hold up a single rosebud for garnish. We didn’t ask a lot of questions mainly because we were taking turns smelling this delectable beverage. Because we are both super cool. As it turns out, it tasted just as good as it looked. If you like Middle Eastern desserts, this will remind you of one. Not too sweet, and it was crisp and lush at the same time. Delicious! Jenna is not typically a fan of gin, so this is serious alchemy.
Jenna is actually also not a fan of mushrooms. This is relevant because (true confessions time) it made her afraid of Joanne’s cocktail. She wanted to order something that contained candy cap mushroom infused rye whiskey. (“Bless your brave soul,” Jenna said.) Joanne likes to say that she is Chinese, and so she eats super weird things and isn’t afraid to try anything at least once. Jenna, however, hates mushrooms with a fiery passion. But in the interests of science, Jenna tried a sip of Joanne’s mushroom cap & strawberry eggnog. (We don’t have the official name for this drink yet, because Luke made his signature holiday drink as a preview for us.)
Two sips later, Jenna was a believer and Joanne was totally hooked. Luke had explained that the mushrooms (which were strained and not actually in the drink) would impart a flavor like molasses to the finished beverage. Creamy and rich, with a nice tang from the berries, and yes, a rich finish reminiscent of molasses! Whatever, mushrooms. Jenna still doesn’t trust you, but you win. This time. (P.S. Joanne loves you, mushrooms, and she’s sorry about all the mean things Jenna is saying about you.)
The grand finale also doesn’t have a name. (For the record they should probably name it “The Grand Finale”!) It showed up on our table in six separate glasses, three for each of us, and we were directed to take a sip from each glass in order. The first glass contained yellow watermelon juice, the second had chocolate infused rum and the third was mission fig infused tequila. The combination and contrast of those three flavors was really something special. We followed our instructions for a while, but please remember we had already had a few cocktails at this point. Things are hazy, but within about 15 minutes, Joanne had taken over her fave, the fig tequila, Jenna had annexed her pick, the chocolate rum, and we got to work on solving the world’s problems. We’re pretty sure we came up with some genius ideas, but under the circumstances, we probably should have written them down!
Joanne is, in turn, not a fan of tequila, so she couldn’t stop raving about how amazing the fig tequila was. It did not taste like tequila at all. It was sweet and rich, with just a finishing hint of alcohol. She was quite upset to discover we were consuming the last fig tequila of the year, as Luke is very serious about only using produce that is in season. But MAJOR UPDATE! Luke told us a few days later that he had just gotten more mission figs – the very last of the season – and will in fact be producing bottles of the stuff for purchase this holiday season. Please excuse Joanne while she runs off to buy all of the bottles.
We asked Luke what it takes to make such unique, high-quality drinks. It takes him from 3 days to sometimes months to infuse each alcohol!
“It’s all congruent with the season, the product, and what type of flavor profile I’m looking for,” Luke said. “Everything must be balanced. Even if the flavor of the fusion is very strong, it’s done on purpose to go with, or counteract, the other ingredients inside the cocktail.”
The menu at Garden Cocktails changes from week to week. Coming up, Luke will be working with holiday flavors like persimmons, pumpkins, apples, white fir pine (yes you read that right), clove cinnamon and vanilla. Needless to say, we are VERY excited to return to try his latest creations. Overall, we are rating Garden Cocktails as 5 out of 5 stars – will drink again!
For more information on where Garden Cocktails will be and what they will be serving, check them out on Facebook and Instagram. You can also view the information on their website and book them for private parties. Do it – and invite us, please.
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