A Conscious Feast by Nicole Aloni

Call him what you will, Christopher Bollenbacher is on the bleeding edge of cocktail wizardry.

Christopher Bollenbacher, mixing it up

In this age of inspired mixology, crafty bartenders have one hand on their muddler and the other on a chef’s knife. Even adventurous chefs are taking a shot at putting their passion into a cocktail shaker. Remarkable new cocktails are emerging from this blurry boundary between the bar and the kitchen. With fat washing, fruit and herbal infusions, seasonal ingredients, artisan and organic spirits⎯cocktails have become the poster child for America’s fascination with adventurous flavor.

Here, mixologist Christopher Bollenbacher talks about the current renaissance of that uniquely American invention⎯the cocktail⎯ and shares some recipes.

According to Bollenbacher, “Today’s bar chefs are using all of the traditional cocktail techniques enhanced with modern flavors and ideas to create fresh ways of introducing flavor into a glass. Bartending for some of us has become an art and a craft. We use fresh juices, exotic fruits and herbs instead of commercial products. I also make syrups, tinctures and infusions to create the products that suit my vision of the cocktails I want to create,” said Bollenbacher.

“I believe that the great bar chefs (and Seattle has some of the best) have really helped to create a new breed of sophisticated cocktail afficionados. I know that once someone has tasted a drink made with freshly squeezed juices, an exotic tincture, house made bitters, or infused syrup, they won’t settle for a cocktail made with bottled sweet and sour or commercial mixers,” Bollenbacher said.

Since he is such a proponent, I asked Christopher to clarify the difference between tinctures and bitters and to explain how they are best used.

“A tincture is an infusion of an herb or spice in alcohol (or sometimes, water). Some of the ones  I’ve created that are the most useful include nutmeg, clove, firewater (a multi-pepper blend), kaffir lime, anise, and vanilla. These are essentially my liquid spice cabinet.” He added, “In fact, most of these are great for cooking, too. They allow you to add a very controlled amount of one of these bold flavors to your dish.”

“A bitter is a tincture that has had a bittering agent like wormwood, gentian, horehound or citrus rind added to it. Bitters have been known since ancient times as stomach curatives and appetite stimulants, too.”

Following is a recipe for a peppery, potent, pink peppercorn tincture and a refreshing cocktail enlivened by the tincture.

Bollenbacher envisioning a cocktail