This piece appears in the Fall 2013, No. 9, issue of Edible Monterey Bay...and hit the newstands today (29 August 2013).
Adventurous Libations for Whatever Ails You
– at Restaurant 1833
Story and Photos by Camilla M. Mann
In 1833, James Stokes, a
British sailor, jumped ship with several cases of medicine and fraudulently presented
himself as a doctor, opening a pharmacy in the single room, tile-roofed adobe
in downtown Monterey.
Recently I sat in Stokes’s
Apothecary, at a pale onyx bar that glows eerily under massive chandeliers and
shelves that are lined with vintage bottles, books, and artifacts that evoke
the 19th century. I was there to chat with Stokes’s present-day
successor, Michael Lay, about his own methods of salving our ills. Luckily for
us, the cocktails he crafts at Restaurant 1833 are the real deal. They’ve also
attracted a big local following since the restaurant opened two years and in
July, Zagat named Lay to its 2013 “30 Under 30” list of rising stars in the Bay
Area restaurant world.
I’ve heard people refer
to themselves as mixologists or spiritsmiths versus bartenders and asked his
preference. “I’m a bartender,” he affirms. “To me, bartending is the embodiment
of hospitality. It’s about making a drink that people enjoy, something that
provokes curiosity and starts a conversation.”
Ted Glennon, sommelier
and Beverage Director for 1833, joined us. “We celebrate the classic
Michael chuckles and
admits, “Yeah, I’m kind of a nerd that way.” He chooses fresh ingredients for
the cocktail menu whose House Remedies include Pain Killers, described as humble
concoctions to numb your aches and lift your spirits; Stress Relievers; and
Elixirs. “This is Stokes’s old pharmacy. So we play with that 1800s Wild West
apothecary theme. Back in those days, the medicine prescribed to you contained
booze. It might not do anything, but it would intoxicate you and you’d actually
feel better.”
Bitters, a combination
of alcohol, herbs, spices, and other flavorings, were originally created as
medicinals. People might still aid digestion, after a heavy meal, with a nip of
bitters, but, today, bitters are mainly used to add a layer of flavor and botanical
wizardry to mixed drinks.
The cult following for
craft cocktails here in our area and around the country has created an explosion
of new bitters purveyors and prompted many bartenders and home mixers to
concoct their own. Michael’s bar has the classics – Angostura and Peychaud’s –
as well as an entire array of exotic varieties, including celery bitters and
cardamom bitters. He also has a collection of housemade bitters, including
orange bitters that he uses in the recipe he shared below.
A few elements elevate
Michael’s cocktail creations above your regular bar offerings: freshness,
creativity, and passion. “It’s about the experience,” he explains. “We have our
tableside absinthe cart and we do a hot buttered rum tableside also. We want
people to come here for an adventure.”
MUTINY
Courtesy Michael Lay,
bartender, Restaurant 1833
2 ounces Weller 90
Bourbon
½ ounce Yellow
Chartreuse
½ ounce Bonal Gentiane
Quina
½ ounce fresh lemon
juice
½ ounce fresh orange
juice
2 dashes orange bitters
Ice
Combine all ingredients
in a shaker. Strain and serve over ice in a cocktail glass.
