Cocktail grasp Jason Asher is a founding accomplice of Century Grand, Barter & Shake Cocktail Leisure’s award-winning cocktail vacation spot in Phoenix, Arizona. Inside Century Grand are three distinctive cocktail bar ideas, all of which serve specialty craft cocktails and supply charming hospitality experiences.
Jason Asher
Century Grand, is an award-winning cocktail idea that homes three distinctive bars underneath one roof: UnderTow (now in Gilbert, too!), Platform 18 and Gray Hen Rx. Collectively serving world class drinks alongside unmatched immersive experiences, Century Grand pushes artistic boundaries by giving visitors the chance to decide on their very own cocktail journey throughout each go to.
This paradise for imbibers opened its doorways again in 2019 when Asher determined to convey his artistic imaginative and prescient to life. With over 20 years of hospitality expertise underneath his belt, the Phoenix native employs his huge information of cocktail chemistry to verify every of the three bars supply experiential cocktails that depart visitors in awe. However simply how does he do it? And why experientially? Chilled had the pleasure of chatting with Jason to study in regards to the present pattern and the way he has perfected it.
Speak to us about Barter & Shake Cocktail Leisure and Century Grand.
Inside Century Grand there are three distinctive cocktail bar ideas, all of which serve specialty craft cocktails and supply immersive hospitality experiences.
- GREY HEN RX: Dwelling to 514 choices of bourbon and whiskey from everywhere in the world, Gray Hen Rx transports visitors to New Orleans within the mid-1800’s. Very like the early apothecaries that operated as a “first-port-of-call” for medical recommendation and cure-alls, Gray Hen Rx is match to treatment each craving with its beverage menu that includes unique and traditional cocktails, whiskey flights and nonalcoholic drinks.
- UNDERTOW: UnderTow presents a one-of-a-kind, immersive environment that whisks visitors away on a 90-minute journey within the stomach of a spice dealer’s turn-of-the-century Clipper ship. With two areas in Phoenix and Gilbert, UnderTow delights locals and vacationers alike with a treasured cocktail expertise that includes unique drinks and uncommon rums from world wide.
- PLATFORM 18: When visitors step into Platform 18, they’re instantly transported onto a glamorous, Presidential Pullman-inspired practice automotive from the twentieth century. With interactive particular results, Platform 18 brings drinkers on a memorable journey via the Rocky Mountains whereas sipping on unique and traditional cocktails or scooping spoons filled with spirit-infused ice lotions and sorbets, all of that are made solely in-house.
What sort of cocktail journey can visitors anticipate?
Our menus supply roughly 40 cocktails – a combination of classics and originals. With the classics, we’ve remade them and re-worked the specs and elements to verify they’re the perfect variations attainable. And for our originals, these drinks have been created with a whole lot of intention in thoughts. My method to cocktail creation is thru how flavors combine with each other. It’s a bit scientific (taste molecules). So, from a taste perspective, you ought to be taken on an journey each time you’re taking a sip. From an aesthetic perspective, we embody one over-the-top experiential cocktail on each menu – a cocktail that simply “wows” our visitors with presentation. Along with that one drink, we choose a number of further cocktails that showcase our artistry of “plating”!
Why is the experiential cocktail pattern so standard now?
Folks like to drink with their eyes first. Meals has all the time had the platform to point out elevated plating methods! It has lastly moved into the cocktail world and visitors anticipate one thing avant-garde on the subject of presentation. We make sure that we provide roughly six out of 40 drinks with that elevated degree of presentation.
How can bartenders create attention-grabbing experiential cocktail?
- Create an idea for the drink. What’s inspiring this cocktail?
- Create a scrumptious cocktail, one which’s balanced, thought scary, and exquisite.
- Mix them collectively and wow your visitors.
What are some vital ideas when creating attention-grabbing experiential cocktails.
I like to attract inspiration from bars world wide. Cocktail bars corresponding to Oriole & Nightjar ship extremely stunning cocktails to their visitors. They publish pictures that actually encourage and awe others from world wide!
Don’t purchase stuff, purchase experiences. I journey as a lot as attainable. Your life experiences will affect your creativity. I attempt to discover cultural issues, like visiting museums, to do in every metropolis I go to.
Style every little thing you probably can and take notes. (wine, spirits, beer, meals, native elements).
What developments do you see coming and going this yr?
I believe you’ll start to see a contact extra science utilized throughout the cocktail neighborhood. As on your nationwide account/chain eating places, they’re trying to keep up a contemporary produce and juice program whereas nonetheless discovering a strategy to save on price. Contemporary on the gun merchandise are making a push into the market in a giant approach!
What kinds of cocktail experiences “WOW” visitors?
Friends actually love interactive cocktails that simply swoop them up into the second. Just like the drinks they’ll’t assist however snap pictures of earlier than taking the primary sip.
What sorts of elements are your go-to?
I like to combine it up as typically as attainable! We frequently discover a acquainted taste/ingredient to pair a extra attention-grabbing and barely esoteric ingredient with. For instance, we could pair strawberry with palo santo!
El Robusta @ UnderTow
Photograph by Grace Stufkosky
Substances:
- 2 oz Bacardi 8-year rum
- 1/2 oz darkish roasted dandelion root infused Carpano Antica
- 1/4 oz St. George Nola
- 1/4 oz Averna Amaro
- Bamboo leaf
- Pandan tincture tabelside
Preparation: *coconut oil wash complete batch, stir on artisan ice in glass, orange peel discard, bamboo leaf, cinnamon vape, pandan mist tableside.
100 years, 100 extra @ gray hen rx
Images by grace stufkosky
Substances:
- 2 oz balvenie 14 / balvenie 21 mix
- .13 oz Grand Marnier cuvee du centenaire 100
- .13 oz Martini & Rossi Bitters
- .13 oz Tempus Fugit Banana
- .13 oz John Taylor Falernum
- 1/4 oz Lustau East India Sherry
- 1/4 oz Carpano Bianco vermouth
- Angostura bitters
- Lemongrass tincture
- Orange peel (discard)
Preparation: stir on draft, pressure into egg over artisan ice, orange peel, discard, safe egg in cage, serve.
OUR PRECIOUS CARGO @ Platform 18
Images by Grace Stufkosky
Substances:
- 1/4 oz Grand Marnier 100
- 2 oz Nolets Reserve Gin
- 1/4 oz Pio Cesare Barolo Chinato
- 1/4 oz Lustau 30yr Palo Cortado sherry
- .13 oz Giffard peach liqueur
- .13 oz Zucca Amaro
- 1 sprint saline
- 1 sprint ardour fruit bitters
- Atomized absinthe “fragrance”
Preparation: stir, draft, add orange oil, pressure into med bottle, serve tableside, absinthe fragrance tableside.
