Denisse Soto, a mixologist and mezcal knowledgeable from Mexico, is a distinguished beverage advisor in Chicago.
She has developed cocktail menus for Osito’s Faucet, Tacos Lotería, and Crepas Culichi in Oak Park, IL, and collaborated with manufacturers like Espolòn Tequila and Topo Chico Arduous Seltzers. In June 2021, she based Denise Soto With Aptitude LLC and launched La Chingona Miks, a line of drink mixers. In 2023, she curated the cocktail program at Cariño, a brand new Latin American tremendous eating restaurant in Chicago, creating distinctive drinks impressed by Latin American flavors and elements.
Named after the Spanish time period for “beloved,” Cariño is a heartfelt homage to the tradition, flavors, and other people throughout Latin America, showcasing Chef Norman Fenton’s love and connection to this vibrant area of the world. It presents a 12-16 course tasting menu highlighting regional Latin American cuisines and encompasses a full of life late-night Taco Omakase on the chef’s counter. Moreover, the restaurant presents a group of agave-based spirits, craft beer, and a portfolio of Latin American wines curated by Jean Banchet Award-nominated sommelier Richie Ribando (Smyth, The Loyalist, Subsequent).
Cariño’s beverage program, curated by Soto, blends Latin American gastronomy and tradition with distinctive spirits and infusions. The elements in every cocktail are chosen to symbolize elements of Latin American cultures. Soto explains: “For instance, in ‘La Guacamaya’ we make the most of wild tropical fruits to evoke the untamed ambiance of Tulum. Combining fruits like mamey with coconut and aged charanda from Uruapan creates a harmonious mix, enhanced with a couple of dashes of Angostura Bitters.
The ‘Morada Bitter’ embodies Peru by fermenting purple corn into a well-liked alcoholic drink in Peru referred to as ‘chicha.’ A contact of tamarind acidity enhances the purple chicha’s fruitiness, mixed with Peruvian Pisco Quebranta and herbaceous Träkál, giving the cocktail sturdy aromas and rounding off the corn flavors. One other notable instance is the ‘Mi Campo Margarita’, crafted with nopal cactus, inexperienced kiwi, inexperienced apple, and contemporary grapefruit juice. This creates a refreshing inexperienced juice with earthy notes that work very properly with the bottom spirit, Cenizo Mezcal. Rimmed with serrano chili salt, the cocktail has layers of taste, providing a posh concoction that embodies the richness of Mexican tradition.”
Soto doesn’t have a particular ingredient that she considers a “go-to,” however she loves incorporating herbs due to the layers and aromas it offers the senses. To create a profitable beverage program, Soto believes it’s vital to start out by understanding the idea of the institution you’re working in.
“When you grasp this, you possibly can let this system evolve naturally. It’s additionally essential to correctly practice your employees so that they perceive how every drink enhances the menu and ambiance. Creating a system for them to comply with, with constant recipes and methods, is essential. The extra info you share with them concerning the menu construction, the extra assured they’ll really feel when presenting it to visitors.”
