Meet The Mixologist: Johnny Kozlowski

Johnny Kozlowski is beverage director of The Avra Group, which operates Avra Estiatorio Greek/Mediterranean eating places in New York, Beverly Hills and shortly to open in Miami.

What was your first job within the beverage or hospitality business? 

Mockingly sufficient, my first job was as a bus boy working beneath the desk once I was 12 years previous at a Greek restaurant in my house city of Studying, PA.

What’s your favourite spirit to work with in the intervening time? 

My favourite spirit is gin proper now — there are such a lot of nice ones on the market, and so they have distinctive botanicals that add such nice aromatics and complexities to cocktails.

Avra’s Wine Record contains greater than 1,200 varieties and spans the globe; what are a few of the extra uncommon choices?

At our a number of Avra areas, I attempt to have one thing for everybody, however one thing new I simply added to the Rockefeller record is Silva Daskalaki “Grifos.” The wine is from Crete in Greece, made type a white grape referred to as vidiano.

It has prolonged pores and skin contact made in amphorae clay pots, then aged is barrels. Because of the pores and skin contact, the colour of the wine comes off orange. It has a brightness and freshness whereas exhibiting off a profound construction. I purchased each final case in New York Metropolis!

How did Avra’s personal branded wine choices come about?

After we checked out having our very personal Avra wines, we most significantly wished the wines to be properly made and balanced for his or her model. The primary query when going by the method was, “Do I need to have one other glass of this?”  

Commercial

We’re very happy with our pals whom have helped us notice this. Our Cyclades assyrtiko was launched in 2021, our Napa Valley cabernet in Could 2022, and we’re very excited for our Provence rosé to come back, which we’re anticipating in January 2023.

Avra’s record of spirits spans within the a whole lot with 25 varieties and contains hard-to-find-American whiskies and Shibui Whisky from Japan. What spirits have been in style with friends?

The Shibui line up is totally gorgeous and genuine because it comes from Okinawa — I put them up in opposition to anybody. Nevertheless, what’s the hottest must be tequila.

I can’t bear in mind one other time the place all of the chat was about tequila. Clase Azul has all the time been in the direction of the highest of convo. I simply introduced within the very coveted Dí de los Muertos 2022 launch from them. The bottle is outstanding in its flavors and colourful handmade decanter that’s completed off in Martinique rum casks. One other stunner is the only property Maestro Dobel “1967” Further Añejo; really a sipper amongst one of the best.

Do the cocktails comply with a Mediterranean theme to go along with the meals idea?

They do — and naming them is one in every of my responsible pleasures. Their names comply with all the pieces from Greek mythology to Greek landmarks.

The cocktail program enjoys not solely conventional recipes, but in addition distinctive and enjoyable taste. We infuse Greek spirits, comparable to Rakomelo tsipouro (Greek grappa aged with honey/spices/herbs) within the Rockefeller location’s Onassis Manhattan and on the Miami location we use mastiha (digestive produced from tree sap in Chios, Greece) to make our Mojito.

What’s your present go-to cocktail or beverage? 

My favourite cocktail proper now’s our Poseidon’s Potion on the Rockefeller location.  It’s a play on a standard cocktail referred to as a Final Phrase. I substitute Luxardo Maraschino with a rosemary syrup that we infuse in-house.