In the past year or so, the craft cocktail has been on everyone's menu -- but not every menu is truly craft.
Not so at Kapow! Noodle Bar in Boca Raton, where cocktail menu creator Angela Dugan -- wife to Kapow! co-owner and Pizza Fusion CEO Vaughan Lazar -- recently stepped-in to revamp the establishment's cocktail selections. While there are plenty of South Florida bars doing an excellent job of fostering a resurgence of true craft cocktails, Dugan's special touches are amping it up a notch.
Today, the bar released its new cocktail menu -- over 20 drinks that highlight all the flavors of the season in a few dozen glasses. We asked Dugan what makes each of Kapow's new craft cocktails special. Here's what she had to say:
"A cocktail that is truly unique and cannot be easily recreated," Dugan told Clean Plate Charlie during a recent interview. "I don't believe you have to recreate the wheel, but the flavors have to balance, and there almost has to be a sense of intrigue. Craft means unique, customized drinks with a homemade touch. Adding a bunch of ingredients together with a sweetener or two does not make a craft cocktail."
Likewise, a true craft cocktail menu should also be tailored to its audience, said Dugan. Each cocktail has to tell a story, and the menu as a whole has to create a well versed picture of whatever it is the bar is trying to portray, whether it's the flavors of the season, or the personalities of the bartenders and the establishment.
To get that, Dugan asks staff members to submit their best recipes each season. It's a way to keep drinks daring, and the staff dedicated to what they do best. This season, Dugan is most excited about Kapow's newest line of low-impact cocktails, drinks made with just one ounce of alcohol or less for all the flavor and character, without a ton of booze.
How did she come up with the idea? Dugan did her homework. While reading The Cocktails Of The Ritz Paris she came across a section that addressed the importance of understanding your audience, and the idea was born.
