Grabbing a shell-shaped dish, the revolutionary bartender blended Cachaca (Brazilian rum), coconut water, honey, lime juice, pineapple and aloe syrup to create a drink honoring the observe, “Después de la Playa,” – which means “after the seashore.”
Whereas the presentation alone emits seashore vibes, one whiff of the fruity, coconut aromas adopted by a sip of the summery, Caipirinha-like cocktail transports me to the tropics.
“I awoke and thought, ‘What am I going to make at the moment?’ then I used to be listening to the brand new Unhealthy Bunny music, which is about what you do after the seashore,” says Centeno, Chief Spirits Officer at Deer Path Inn in Lake Forest, Illinois. “So, I acquired pineapple and lime juice, which is refreshing, and aloe vera since folks use it after the seashore for sunburn. Each cocktail has a narrative like that.”
Creativity drives Centeno, who grew up in an arty city in central Mexico, the place he labored within the vegetable commerce and studied engineering, earlier than shifting to Chicago and getting into hospitality. Via managing eating places and bartending, he turned enthralled with liquor and cocktail-making—his curiosity additional heightened as he developed a ardour for gardening.
“I discovered about botany, flowers and herbs, so acquired actually deep into the elements of cocktails,” he says. “If I see one thing I don’t learn about, I’ll attempt it, analysis and find out about it. Now, after I style one thing, I’ll go, ‘That is perhaps good with this,’ and all of the dots join. I don’t pressure something.”
Centeno’s loves for cocktails and gardening meshed completely when he joined Deer Path Inn, the place he runs the beverage program for the English-inspired boutique inn’s bar, pub and restaurant. Simply half-hour from Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport, the comfy inn has hosted celebs, received awards for its eating and sits in a cute city match for a Hallmark film.
Nestled onto the shores of Lake Michigan, Lake Forest’s non-public seashore, guide retailer, cafes and eating places make for an ideal weekend getaway, however it’s Centeno’s cocktail creations that had me desperate to get again to the inn each time I ventured out to play vacationer.
Maybe greatest recognized is the Frosted Flakes and Strawberry Outdated-Customary, a nostalgic thought he had after recognizing mini cereal packing containers within the inn’s kitchen. “I assumed, ‘That’s cool packaging,’ so infused bourbon with the Frosted Flakes,” he says. “And, I’m all the time eager about how you can reuse issues, so I reused the packaging to serve it in.”
Then there’s Le Rose, a romantic champagne and vodka concoction infused with rose syrup, rhubarb and edible glitter, which shimmers because it’s stirred. The rose-shaped glass is served in a picket cage adorned with ivy and roses. “Someone was getting engaged and so they wished one thing particular,” Centeno explains. “Lake Forest has a number of ivy so I used that, then picked roses from my backyard. I develop the rhubarb as effectively. It is best to have seen everybody’s reactions after I introduced that one out. Individuals liked it, so I began doing it for Valentine’s Day.”
Centeno salutes his love for gardening additional in My Backyard, which goals to showcase native elements and terroir. Paying homage to a candy, minty mojito, the drink options New Zealand’s Damaged Shed vodka with bee balm petals, plantain weed and Swiss chard from his backyard, together with honey harvested by the inn’s sushi chef Adam.
Centeno additionally makes seasonal and vacation specials like a Halloween drink which popped out of a Jack-in-the-Field he constructed, or the Christmas Cup, a spin on a Pimm’s Cup that includes festive elements like pomegranate, ginger and rosemary. “Come November, folks go nuts for it!” says Centeno.
Utilizing recent and native elements is paramount to Centeno, who typically turns to The Taste Bible by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen A. Web page when pondering up new drinks. Social media has in the meantime propelled his creativity, though going viral has by no means been his driving pressure.
“It does encourage me after I see a fairly cocktail as a result of I feel, ‘I may do higher,’ or, ‘I can do my very own tackle this,’ however I typically do my very own factor,” he says. “The cocktail scene is all the time altering—traits, flavors and style buds change, so I all the time evolve with it and attempt to keep one step forward, however I nonetheless need to comply with my very own beat and never copy someone else. I don’t make cocktails within the hope of somebody taking an image. I do it as a result of I’ve an thought and need to present folks.”
“Via the odor and style, I need folks to expertise one thing distinctive. Final evening someone informed me she was right here 4 years in the past and stated, ‘You made this stunning drink that modified the best way I see issues.’ Or folks have stated, ‘You bought us via the pandemic.’ That’s essentially the most rewarding factor. When folks come and say thanks.”
These to-go pandemic cocktails, together with cocktail-making courses on the inn’s YouTube channel, have been one thing Centeno got here up with when Covid-19 hit. However with visitors now again on-site, Centeno’s greatest problem is sustaining manufacturing, particularly since he prides himself in getting ready every part from lime juice to garnishes recent each day and guaranteeing each drink served on the inn meets expectations.
“I don’t need to put up an image that [entices] somebody, then have them come to the restaurant and go, ‘That’s not what it regarded like on social media,’” he says. “I’d quite not put up it if I can’t maintain it.”
That’s why guests might want to request the particular drinks menu stashed behind the bar or handed to clients “when it feels proper.” And for many who want to learn to create their very own spectacular drinks, Centeno additionally runs courses for visitors of the inn, like “The Ginstitute.”
“I’ve 82 gins on the menu and I’ve tasted and researched all of them. Similar factor with the whiskeys and tequilas,” he says. “Gin’s such a enjoyable spirit, so I do a mixing class the place we work with gin in methods folks wouldn’t consider. Within the final one, I made a dressing with gin and gin jello pictures. I’ve made a gin Outdated Customary. Individuals go, ‘How will you make an Outdated Customary with gin?’ however it’s a particular gin with a special taste.”
“If folks need whiskey or tequila courses, I also can do these,” he provides. “Wine, I’m rather less educated, however I can do all of the spirits!”
