Bartender’s as a Creative Force, and Fun

We’ve seen bartenders take the draft cocktail trend that began a few years ago and go a step further. Now we’re seeing shots on draft, like the Disco Shots at Downtown L.A.’s night life temple, Honeycut. And there’s the Gin Lemonades that are constantly flowing from the taps at Kapnos in D.C.

The most fun and indulgent trend we saw emerge from behind the bar are floats! Not the studied layered drinks like the Pousse-Café, but a simpler, slicker, scoopable form familiar to anyone who once was a child. On the Sunset Strip, we had Fernet Floats from 2014 L.A. Rising Star Bartender Kiowa Bryan of The Eveleigh. And back on the East Coast we sipped Negroni floats at Drink in Boston and Oloroso Floats at 2014 Rising Star Restaurateur Derek Brown’s Sherry bar Mockingbird Hill. And then more Sherry Floats at Estadio, where Chef Haidar Karoun and Somm Max Kuller collaborated on their float drink.