Sunday, July 26, 2009
Food, Wine, Beer & Spirits, "Behind the Bar", Q&A, Atlanta
Fresh and fruity
Bartender Jason Kemp mixes from-scratch libations, makes his own bitters and waxes poetic about tiki bars
By Hope S. Philbrick
Count classic, creative and kitsch cocktails among the wide range of drinks that bartender Jason Kemp mixes up at Drinkshop in the W Atlanta-Downtown and at the BookHouse Pub on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Driven by a passion for fresh ingredients, Kemp has been known to pluck fresh mint from his home garden to use as a garnish and also to make bitters from scratch. This attention to detail yields such tasty results that The Sunday Paper opted to chat with Kemp to learn more.
You tend bar at BookHouse Pub on Tiki Tuesdays. What’s that about?
Tiki drinks came out after World War II and are an amalgamation of Polynesian and Caribbean influences. Usually they use Caribbean rum and a lot of lime juice. There is a Trader Vic’s in Atlanta, which is one of the last tiki bars of that era. It’s kind of a kitschy part of cocktail history with drinks like the mai tai, suffering bastard and so on. These drinks are really strong and really fruity and there’s a lot of garnish that goes with them—like cocktail umbrellas, slices of fruit, ceramic tiki head mugs. It’s a lot of fun.
Why bother to make your own bitters?
I’ve always been interested in bitters, and there aren’t a lot of bitters available on the market. Back in the 1800s, there were thousands of different bitters available. I got to thinking about how to make them and started experimenting. I found ingredients to make sour orange bitters, including local honey and sour oranges from Florida. I started out making tinctures and they really came out good. It’s just a fun little hobby. I usually just give them away to friends; I do use them at the bar, too. I use them in my Manhattan recipe, my whiskey old-fashioned recipe and other cocktails. Bitters add a little more spice to the overall flavor profile of the cocktail. Just two to three drops adds complexity to the taste and gives the drink dimensions of flavor. Bitters can help take away from the sweetness if a drink is really sweet.
What’s your approach to mixology?
I strive to use the freshest, most natural ingredients. At Drinkshop, we don’t use corn syrup, and we don’t have the gimmicky alcohols that a lot of bars would have, such as flavored vodkas. We use our own syrups, fresh garnishes and fresh fruit. I wouldn’t go so far as to call the drinks I make healthy, but they’re definitely better for you than drinks at a lot of other places. I’m trying to educate people on having a better cocktail as opposed to just vodka with cranberry juice, which is kind of plain. It’s more fun to experience all kinds of tastes and flavors.
At Drinkshop, a lot of time is spent on ice. We have five different kinds of ice that are used depending on the drink. We have a 150-pound block of ice shipped from Louisville twice a week. I had to go out and find an antique ice pick because those made today are too flimsy to actually work.
What trends have you noticed?
Aviation and Manhattans are coming back—people are asking for them.
Is it true that bartenders have to listen to a lot of sob stories?
Absolutely. I enjoy the art of conversation, and as a bartender, I get to listen to people’s stories that I would otherwise never hear. I first started bartending when I was 18, and worked at the Black Eyed Pea. They stuck me behind the bar; I had no idea what I was doing, but over time, I picked it up. I definitely learned to pour beer. Bartending is a great job to have: You can make a decent living by serving people things they want, and you get to meet all kinds of interesting people from various socioeconomic backgrounds. SP
Drinkshop is located in the W Atlanta-Downtown at 45 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd.; 404-582-5787. BookHouse Pub is located at 736 Ponce DeLeon Ave.; 404-254-1176.