It's been almost a year of staying in, leaving many of us to suffer through the trial and error of our own cocktail concoctions. It's never as good as when your favorite bartender makes it, no matter how many recipe variations you try. That is, until now. We consulted with some of the Valley's best bartenders to share seven quintessentially “guy" cocktails in honor of our annual men's edition.
Bryandon Johnston
The Social Still | Bethlehem
The coronavirus pandemic has not been kind to a lot of bars and restaurants. But Bryandon Johnston of Bethlehem, who works his magic behind the bar at Social Still, has used the slowdown in business to perfect the science of his craft: “more of the chemistry aspect of bartending,” he explains. One of his more recent experiments involves clarifying cocktails with milk, a technique in which milk is used to “wash” away cloudiness and impurities, resulting in a drink that's cleaner and smoother.
Johnston's spirit of choice is spiced rum, which he believes is one of the unsung heroes in any bar's liquor lineup. “I feel like it's overlooked a lot,” he says. “Whenever you get an order [for it], it's spiced rum and Coke, and that's it.” Luckily, Johnston has whipped up a little something—something that aims to shift the spotlight. The Modern Witch uses Social Still's signature White Witch spiced rum. Johnston worked on several versions of the recipe before getting it just right. “My boss was like, ‘Why is this not on the menu?'” he says. And now it is.
RECIPE: THE MODERN WITCH
Make a 1:1 ratio simple syrup with Demerara sugar and water (you only need one ounce per drink). In a rocks glass, build your cocktail:
2.5 oz. White Witch spiced rum
1 oz. Demerara simple syrup
5 dashes Angostura bitters
Quarter a lime. Squeeze one full quarter of lime into your drink. Add ice cubes or large rock and give a quick stir.
Kevin Bosner
The Sweet Spot | Allentown
It's easy to work up a thirst inside the sports simulators at Topgolf Swing Suite in Allentown. And when you're ready to put down the golf club and toss back a few drinks, Kevin Bonser will be ready to whip up whatever you like at The Sweet Spot bar. With 15 years of bartending under his belt, Bonser, a Bethlehem native, is a pro at knowing what people want, and how to deliver top-notch service. “You have to be able to read people,” he says. “You have to be able to pick up on social cues real fast.” He's also held managerial positions at Bethlehem's Bayou and The Wooden Match. Establishing his own place someday—post-pandemic—is not out of the question. “Maybe this will open up a need for a whole new type of restaurant,” he says.
Bonser's suggestion for a manly cocktail is a tribute to perhaps one of the manliest men in popular culture: James Bond. He's a big fan, and, while he mourns the passing of perhaps the most well-known man to ever slip on the tux—Sean Connery—he's eagerly anticipating the release of the next Bond flick. In the meantime, allow Bonser to present the Casino Royale—shaken, not stirred (naturally!).
RECIPE: CASINO ROYALE
¼ oz. simple syrup
2 oz. orange flavored vodka
½ oz. Grand Marnier
Muddle one slice of cucumber and a few mint sprigs
Splash in the simple syrup. Add the vodka and Grand Marnier. The drink is then “shaken, not stirred” with ice and strained into a martini glass. Add a splash of tonic and garnish with an orange wheel.
Jarrod Buzzard
Torre | Center Valley
Jarrod Buzzard can roll with the punches—like say, when two servers call out ahead of a busy Friday night and he's flying solo behind the bar. “It's basically like, ‘Good luck. Here's your floaties, don't drown,'” he says with a laugh. Good thing Buzzard thrives under pressure. “I like the rush,” he says.
“I like being busy, being in the weeds, as they say in the business.” Buzzard has worked for Torre at the Promenade Shops for about three years. The Allentown native has a culinary arts degree from Northampton Community College, which he says helps him understand the flavor profiles that are needed to craft the perfect cocktail. “It's the way the liquors marry,” he explains. “Understanding what will pair well.” While he prefers a dirty martini made with Kettle One vodka, he's come to appreciate what a good tequila has to offer. “I never thought I'd be that guy drinking tequila neat,” says Buzzard.
RECIPE: MEXICAN MANHATTAN
1 ½ oz. Old Forester bourbon
1 oz. Espolòn Reposado tequila
½ oz. cherry liqueur
Few drops of grapefruit bitters
Combine ingredients in shaker with ice, shake vigorously, then pour over ice ball or rocks.
Kyle Dalrymple
McCarthy's Red Stag Pub & Whiskey Bar | Bethlehem
Kyle Dalrymple of Bethlehem was no whiskey expert when he first started working at McCarthy's Red Stag Pub nearly four years ago. “I knew about Jameson and that was about it,” he says. But Dalrymple took on the role of student during his downtime, reading labels in between serving customers and sampling new whiskeys at the end of his shift. Now he's one of the Red Stag's Whiskey Ambassadors, a coveted title earned only after acing a classroom course, a written test and a blind taste test.
Dalrymple helps patrons navigate a myriad of options; he estimates that the Red Stag has about 170 different whiskeys on hand, and even that number might be a bit conservative. As for his personal favorite? “It's more of a mood thing for me. I'm enjoying ryes at the moment.” But he's quick to recommend the Count Zinzendorf Manhattan, which is named after the man who founded the town of Bethlehem in 1741. It's perfect for sipping
in the Red Stag's new Lafayette Room. “The aroma smells like a bouquet and it tastes like jammy blueberries,” says Dalrymple.
RECIPE: COUNT ZINZENDORF MANHATTAN
3 oz. Kinsey Zinfandel Cask (limited release; Dalrymple also recommends Dad's Hat Port)
1 oz. Contratto Americano Rosso vermouth
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Orange peel for garnish
Rocks (optional)
Combine liquids in mixing glass and follow behind with ice. Stir ingredients for about 20 seconds and strain into martini glass or rocks glass filled with ice. Peel orange peel with as minimal pith as possible and pinch the peel's oils over the drink. Rub the remaining oils around the rim of the glass and drop the peel into the glass. Sláinte!
Darius Feit
Grille 3501 | Allentown
The coronavirus pandemic has made it difficult for Darius Feit to catch up with his regulars. He's been a fixture behind the bar at Allentown's Grille 3501 for more than six years. “We wouldn't be the same restaurant without our customers,” he says. “You can really establish connections and a web of relationships through all of the different people.” Feit, of Bethlehem, is proud of the restaurant's neighborhood feel; the staff, he says, also plays a big role in cultivating that vibe.
Another plus: the freedom to experiment. Grille 3501 has a menu that's constantly evolving, and Feit and his fellow bartenders are encouraged to put forth their most tasty concoctions. When he's on the other side of the bar, he'll probably be drinking a whiskey (“always Irish whiskey”) or a vodka on the rocks. But he's not opposed to a cocktail now and then, like the Red Bow Tie, Grille 3501's play on an old fashioned. “It's very drinkable,” he says. “It's a good fall and winter drink. Really it's drinkable anytime.”
RECIPE: RED BOWTIE
2 oz. Kentucky bourbon (Grille 3501 uses Jim Beam)
½ oz. amaretto
1 oz. cranberry juice
4 Amarena cherries
Place three cherries into a rocks glass, add cranberry juice and amaretto and muddle together. Add the bourbon to the mash and stir. Top with ice and garnish with a cherry.
Craig Cressman
The MINT Gastropub | Bethlehem
After about two decades in the bartending business, Craig Cressman of Bethlehem can say with certainty that no two nights are ever the same. “I love the fact that it's like your stage,” he says. “You go to work and you put on a show. The people you meet, the stories you hear. You never know what you're going to get. There have been a lot of friendships forged over the years.”
He's been with The MINT Gastropub in Bethlehem since it opened in 2011, and he's one of the mixologists charged with keeping the specialty cocktail menu fresh and palate pleasing for customers. Among his creations is Blood and Tears, a new take on the Roaring 20s-era Blood and Sand. Cressman swapped out scotch for gin and made other alterations. “I found [the original] to be a little sweet for my liking,” he explains. And he promises his version will pack a lot more bite. Bottoms up!
RECIPE: BLOOD AND TEARS
1 oz. gin
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. Solerno
Splash of lemon juice
Combine ingredients in shaker, shake, then pour into rocks glass with large ice cube. Garnish with orange twist.
David Lutzke
Edge Restaurant | Bethlehem
Dave Lutzke is also looking forward to the time when a crowded bar is no longer taboo. He just moved to the Lehigh Valley from Key West, Florida, and he's anxious to forge some new friendships across the bar. Despite the challenges the pandemic has imposed on his profession, Lutzke has no plans for a career change anytime soon. “I worked in an office setting before and it wasn't for me,” he says.
Lutzke mans the bar at Edge in Bethlehem, and also the new Surv restaurant in Forks Township, where he had a hand in building the specialty drinks menu. He's a big bourbon fan, and even if you don't share that sentiment, he recommends you give the Broad Street Manhattan a try. “We try to make a drink for someone who normally wouldn't order bourbon,” he says. “It has a little sweetness, a little tartness, but it still has that bourbon flavor.”
RECIPE: BROAD STREET MANHATTAN
2 oz. Bulleit bourbon
½ oz. amaretto
¼ oz. black cherry purée
Dash of fresh lemon juice
The ingredients are lightly shaken or stirred and served up with a Luxardo cherry.
