Page 18 - Flathead Beacon // 2.19.14

18 THE FOOD ISSUE // FEBRUARY 19, 2014 FLATHEADBEACON.COM

The Art of Craft Cocktails

Mixologist Dillon James ofers top-shelf service at Whiteish’s Crush Lounge

BY TRISTAN SCOTT OF THE BEACON

U
nwitting patrons who order a cocktail
from Crush Lounge’s head mixologist
Dillon James might think they’ve wan-
dered into an apothecary rather than a
bar.
He’s not your average local drink slinger, and while
$2 PBRs and shots of Fireball are always on hand (and

perfectly acceptable requests), James’ preferred bill of
fare features his own inspired spread of craft cocktails
— complex elixirs that bring to bear sterling spirits,
esoteric, house-made ingredients, and even a history
lesson.
James subscribes to the classic cocktail model of
mixology, a throwback to the elaborately constructed
drinks that characterized the teetotaling period of

American history from 1919 to 1933, and a formula that
became diluted following the end of Prohibition.
“That’s when a lot of the cocktail world got lost,”
said James, sporting a Pancho Villa mustache and
wearing the fedora and black vest of a speakeasy bar-
keep.
But a resurgence in quality drinks has emerged in

recent years and cocktail culture is thriving in major
metro areas, due in part to a passionate contingent of
bartenders and mixologists who understand when cer-
tain drinks should be shaken or stirred (James Bond
got it wrong with the martini) and whose palates can
detect a diference in acidity when lime juice is fresh-
pressed or hours-old.
The revival hasn’t eluded Whiteish, where James

has designed cocktail menus for the Lodge at White-
ish Lake and Caf́ Kandahar’s Snug Bar, where he pre- ABOVE: Dillon James makes drinks at Crush
viously worked, and most recently for Crush Lounge, Lounge in Whiteish. LEFT: A cocktail made
where he employs the technique of “Barchitecture: with vodka, Midori, lemon and pineapple juice
The art or practice of designing and constructing beau- at Crush Lounge.
tifully balanced cocktails.”
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
“The menu has gotten a great response,” he said.
“I’ve been able to make the drinks a lot more complex

and aggressive and take the time to explain those com- might have to contend with 150 cus-
plexities to our customers.”
tomers on a given night, forcing him
The ingredients on James’ hand-styled menu are to strike a balance between complex-
creative and daring, and his tireless work ethic regard- ity and eiciency.
ing cocktail research is evident as he builds classic To that end, he takes care to build
drinks with a twist. His repertoire includes drinks like infusions and syrups in advance to
the Future Fashioned, an adaptation of the Old Fash- maximize the output without com-

ioned containing Neversweat Bourbon, house-made promising the integrity of his signa-
dark cherry syrup, house-made aromatic bitters and ture drinks.
soda; and the Zombeet, with its house-infused ginger “It’s like a puzzle balancing high-
vodka, fresh-squeezed apple and beet juice, and ginger class with high-volume,” he said.
simple syrup.
“Making nice drinks is a lot more dif-
He makes his own bitters, a process that requires icult than throwing together sweet
three months, as well as all of the menu’s syrups and and sour mixers, so I do a lot of prep
infused liquors, using fresh ingredients and, in the bit- work to create syrups, bitters and

ters, full-grain alcohol. James is currently creating the juices that utilize more complex la-
“Man Bitters,” a formula that includes leather, tobacco vors.”
and peppercorn — “really earthy lavors,” he said.
sions refracting of the colossal ice cubes is enhanced He’s even writing a book about mixology that will
In his bitters, which are essentially bitter and aro- when he lames a spritz of orange peel over the glass, include recipes featuring fresh juices and ingredients,
matic herbs and spices infused or tinctured in spirits, sending a tiny ireball into the dimly lit romantic space house made syrups and infused liquors, and bartend-
James uses Everclear to preserve the fresh ingredients, at Crush.
ing advice that he hopes will help continue to revive the
like orange peel.
“Presentation is a lavor. It really afects the way craft cocktail movement.

“I use fresh ingredients so you have much more that you taste food and drink,” he said.
His passion for cocktails and his creativity has been
brightness of lavor,” he said.
When James worked at the Snug Bar, which, true to encouraged by Crush owner Megan Grunow, who gave
His favorite cocktail is called the Bar None, “be- its name, provides patrons with a small, cozy space but James carte blanche freedom to design the cocktail
cause,” he said, “it is bar none the best cocktail I’ve ever can’t accommodate more than 10 customers at a time, menu, which is available online at www.crushwhite-
created.”
he built drinks like the Foie Gras-tini, a decadent drink ish.com.
The Bar None has Corbel brandy, Grand Marnier, that combines sweet and savory lavors, and worked “Megan’s been very supportive in allowing me to
Fernet Branca, house-made citrus bitters, burnt or- with Executive Chef Andy Blanton to ofer craft cock- display my art in here,” he said. “I love making good
ange, sugar cube and soda.
tail course pairings with the Kandahar menu.
drinks. I prefer that over making whiskey cokes any

Part of the appeal of James’ cocktails is the presen- At Crush, which will celebrate its one-year anni- day.”
tation, and the vibrant aesthetic of the syrups and infu-
versary with a party and live music on March 1, James
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