Monday, September 15 09:00AM—10:10AM

Recession Cocktails: Strategic Cost Controls in Beverage Programs Through the Creative Use of Value Spirits and Raw Materials Mixology Workshop

Biography

Eben Freeman is a native New Yorker who has worked in the city’s food and beverage industry for almost two decades. He began as a stock boy at Crossroads Wine & Spirits while attending NYU for theater. For the next five years, Freeman bartended in the West Village, Lower East Side, Brooklyn and at the fast-paced Spring Lounge in Soho. His stellar performance at Spring Lounge so impressed the proprietors that they asked him to become a partner in their new venture in Hell’s Kitchen, The Collins Bar. It was here that Freeman developed his first cocktail program and spirit selection. He crossed paths with a young Wylie Dufresne while tending bar at Palladin, where Dufresne was a sous chef; the two reunited when Dufresne opened wd~50 in 2004.

Possessing a thorough understanding of wine, spirits and classic cocktails, Freeman’s innovative, cutting-edge drinks employ the latest scientific methods, with a focus on fresh ingredients, underutilized spirits, and a playful, culinary character. Freeman met Sam Mason while managing the bar at wd~50; he moved with Mason to open Tailor, which is today known as much for its food as for its dynamic, hyper-creative cocktail selections. Echoing the playful, unconventional style of the kitchen, Freeman creates seasonal cocktails that draw inspiration from both classic and innovative cocktail and culinary techniques.

One of the current most-ordered items on the cocktail list at Tailor is “The Waylon,” named after Waylon Jennings (one of Chef Sam Mason's heroes). It is an adaptation of a Jack and Coke, but with the creative touches you can expect from Freeman – house smoked Coca-Cola.

Recipe

The Waylon
Mixologist Eben Freeman of Tailor – New York, NY
Adapted by StarChefs.com

Yield: 1 Cocktail

Ingredients

Smoked Coke:
• Coca Cola syrup
• Cherry and alder wood
• Cornelius keg

To Assemble and Serve:
• 2 ounces Woodford Reserve bourbon
• 4 ounces smoked Coke (from above)

Method

For the Smoked Coke:
Place cherry and alder woods in a hotel pan. Light on fire, let burn for a few minutes, then extinguish. Nestle a pan of Coca Cola syrup in the charred, smoking wood, and tightly wrap the entire container in plastic wrap. Leave to infuse for at least 1 hour. Place smoked coke in a Cornelius keg and hook up to soda guns.

To Assemble and Serve:
Fill a tall glass with ice and add bourbon and smoked coke.