I’m not sure how other bars build their cocktail menus, but I doubt many start from scratch and involve input from the entire staff. But that’s how it works at the Rossi bar + kitchen.
General Manager Karmen Dann comes up with about twenty drinks, and then brings everyone in on a Monday around 2:00 in the afternoon to test them all out. The staff of eleven (including the busboy) sits at the bar with a page of ingredient notes set before them. That’s when the critiquing begins, followed up by a secret ballot, after which the top eleven choices go on the menu.
Why all the fuss? Because Dann understands that it’s hard to sell a cocktail you don’t care for. “When you walk up to a table,” said Dann, “one of the first things people ask is, ‘So what do you like?’”
The influences aren’t just internal. The Gun Slinger Gimlet (made with Dos Lunas organic tequila, agave nectar, fresh lime juice and organic chipotle artisan liqueur) was created with a pair of regulars in mind. “There are these two awesome ladies, Bridgett and Natalie, who come in here who love gimlets,” said Dann, “so I wanted to put something on the menu for them.” Sometimes the drink comes first, followed by the homage. “I’d finished making this one drink and it was so nice and sweet and pretty, and so is my friend Katie, so I named it Miss Phillips, after her.” The Miss Phillips (a staff favorite) is made with Brothers Drake Bergamot Blue, ginger liqueur, house-made lavender syrup, and topped with candied ginger, which Dann purchases from North Market Spices.
Using ingredients from local suppliers is big at the Rossi. “Everyone’s got their Ohio hat on right now, so that’s cool,” said Dann. “When Brother’s Drake Meadery came on the scene, we were eager to partner with them.” Mead is a honey wine that can be made with the addition of fruit and spices. The Hot for Teacher cocktail is made with the Brothers’ Apple Pie Mead, as well as cider from the Hirsch Fruit Farm in Chillicothe (an hour south of Columbus). Dann infuses local Watershed vodka with bacon she buys from the North Market to use in the Bloody Marys.
Other notable drinks that made the cut are: Type A Positive (Absolut Wild Tea, Herring Cherry liqueur, in-house lavender syrup, lemon juice and Alma Negra), and the Molly May I? (Oyo whiskey, Ohio maple syrup, lemon juice, and peach bitters). Some are variations on familiar favorites like the White Cosmo, and the Upper East Side (a Manhattan made with Corner Creek Reserve bourbon).
Like any good leader willing to practice what she preaches, Dann is fully prepared for when undecided customers ask for her recommendation. “My favorite is the Honey, Please,” which is Oyo Honey Vanilla Bean, pear puree, a splash of cream and a pinch of salt. I must have appeared unconvinced, because she added, “Let me put it this way, people who get one, end up getting two.”
The Rossi Bar + Kitchen is located at 895 N. High St., open for dinner and serving food until 1am every night. Bar open ‘til 2:30.
Article by Lia Eastep. At a party in college, Lia attempted to cover the aftertaste of Schaefer keg beer by consuming a Taco Bell cup full of Blue Maui Schnapps. Still not over that experience, she tends to favor bourbon or a nice glass of red.
