Cocktails
Check out Tom’s Instagram page for in-depth snapshots of his approach.
TOM CRUZ
cognac, pandan, lime, cucumber
I was working one early autumn evening in 2019 when I was told a VIP would be in with some friends to dine.
After they arrived, the restaurant’s beverage manager informed me that the table wanted three bespoke cocktails, one with cognac, one with tequila, and one dealer’s choice. I made the drinks, the beverage manager picked them up, and I continued with my shift.
A little later, she returned to inform me that they had asked for three more of the one with cognac.
After their meal, the trio approached the bar to thank me for the drinks. Mel, one of the guests, said, “Hey, we need to name this drink so we know what to ask for next time we come in.”
I thought for a moment, waiting to see if for the first time in my life a cocktail name would come as the result of an epiphany rather than research and intention.
Mel chimed in quickly with an idea. “Hey, what’s your name?” he said.
“Tom,” I replied.
“Oh, easy,” he said, pointing to his friend, former New York Giants Wide Receiver Victor Cruz. “We’ll call it Tom Cruz.”
Swann’s Whey #2
la diablada pisco, raspberry brandy, wolffer rosé cider, whey, raspberries, terragon, poppy seeds, orris root, hawthorn leaf, hawthorn berry, almond, chestnut, blue cornflower
After partnering with famed Parisian patisserie Angelina for a pop-up, for which I made a cocktail modeled after Proust’s famed madeleine dipped in linden leaf tea (Proust was a regular at the flagship Angelina location) I decided to revisit Swann’s Way for pleasure. I came across reference to raspberries and tarragon early in the book and the combination stirred me, so I started taking notes of any reference to flavor, aroma, botanic life, or alcohol that I thought could work well in a milk punch. When I was done, I combined all of the ingredients listed and made a delicate little drink, hoping I’d be able to capture all of the flavors of that marvelous book in a drink. It was a success.
The reason it’s a #2 is because my first attempt at making a milk punch in honor of Proust’s elaboration on the power of sense memory was a drink made up entirely of aromas that activate my own personal olfactory hot spots. That was a very different drink.
