Demario Wallace in the MUNCHIES Garden.
The end of summer is nigh, and we need to drink about it. Luckily, Demario Wallace, head bartender at Pouring Ribbons, came over to help.
Wallace smells wild mugwort in the garden.
At the East Village cocktail bar, Wallace isn't afraid to get creative. He's made gin drinks with greek yogurt and bellinis with black pepper. Needless to say, he wasn't phased when we asked him to loot the MUNCHIES garden and make some off-the-cuff cocktails.Wallace's ability to improvise is part of what makes him one of the most creative bartenders in New York. His grandfather, who cooked packaged meals for late-night construction workers, was a master improviser. "He made it look easy, but in middle school, I would get into the kitchen with him and experiment," Wallace tells us. "That was something that I always gravitated towards, which is probably why I work in the restaurant business."
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Wallace collects fresh chocolate mint from the MUNCHIES herb garden.
His improvising instincts led him to grab a bunch of fresh herbs from the garden, including chocolate mint, mugwort, spring onions, and fresh flowers.
He also came prepared with citrus, and, of course, booze.
Back in the test kitchen, Wallace tossed vodka, mugwort, spring onions, and flowers into an iSi, a quick tool for infused alcohol. Within minutes, he created an herbaceous, slightly vegetal, seriously-stepped-up vodka.
He then shook up the spirit with lemon juice and honey, poured it over ice, and topped it with tonic water.
A garnish of lemon peel and a red clover flower make the perfect garnish for the refreshing, simple garden tonic.
RECIPE: Garden Tonic
Now, to deal with all this mint: Wallace broke out the iSi again and infused some Bols genever with a big handful of chocolate mint.
He combined the infused Bols with some oleo saccharum—a combination of sugar and lemon juice that hung out overnight with some lemon peel—and shakes in some bitters. It's like an Old Fashioned that got a seriously minty, summery kick in the ass. Poured over rocks, dressed with a sprig of mint—done.
RECIPE: Mint Bols Old Fashioned
And that's how you say goodbye to summer. Cheers.