Can a craft cocktail bar serve quality drinks if they’re premade? Bryan Arri, owner of the Crossroads’ newest agave and sugarcane-focused drinking establishment, Fern Bar, says yes. Fern Bar’s draft cocktail system doesn’t only result in quicker service, he says. It also yields more consistent cocktails.
Cocktails created on the fly are quickly measured by volume with a jigger. At Fern Bar, cocktail recipes are scaled for accuracy then stored in kegs under pressure. According to Arri, adding the smallest amount of carbonation or nitrogen to his pre-concocted beverages is enough to mimic a cocktail being shaken, stirred and diluted.
“[The cocktails] are coming out silky smooth and perfectly diluted—like it’s just come out of a shaker tin,” Arri says.
Fern Bar’s Grass Is Greener cocktail is an excellent example of this streamlined approach. The tequila-based drink is brightened with a basil-watermelon syrup and fresh lime juice and topped off with a pinch of basil and pickled watermelon rind. A pressurized keg draft system helps the watermelon syrup last weeks longer than if it weren’t under pressure. “[The syrup] also continues to fortify with the alcohol,” Arri says.
When Fern Bar was just a pop-up around town (the bar officially opened New Year’s weekend), the Grass Is Greener cocktail was its number one seller. Now, Arri is excited to finally showcase the summer sipper on his menu. But if you want to take a stab at making the cocktail yourself, Arri is sharing his recipe—no nitrogen needed.
Grass Is Greener Cocktail
1 oz Lunazul Blanco
1/2 oz Arette Classico Blanco
1 oz watermelon-basil syrup
.75 oz fresh lime juice
Mix ingredients in a shaker with ice and pour into a highball glass.
Watermelon-basil syrup
Mix a two-to-one ratio of strained watermelon juice with white granulated sugar. Blend in a handful of basil and strain.
