Recipes

Crown Shyness

By Katie Rose
 

On a fine day, you might see Katie Rose absorbing the natural delights in Milwaukee’s Washington Park. It’s a favorite spot of hers, the trees particularly. When you see trees in clusters, gaze up to the branches and you’ll notice an arboreal phenomenon known as Crown Shyness, in which the crowns (or uppermost part) of the trees deliberately do not touch. It’s a real thing, and the inspiration for this cocktail, a summery potion that incorporates products from a couple of local companies – Prairie du Sac’s Wollersheim Winery and Milwaukee’s Heirloom (an offshoot of Bittercube). “The look of it is really striking because it’s just this bright, vibrant green,” she says. “It has lots of beautiful flavors going on. There’s the sweetness from the agave, and the herbal, bitter vibe from the vermouth and the amaro, and [also] tequila as the backbone.” The drink may be named for the coy behavioral trait of trees, but it’s an extrovert through and through.

Ingredients

1 serving

1 1/4 ounces Libélula tequila

3/4 ounce green pepper agave

1/2 ounce Heirloom pineapple amaro

1/2 ounce Wollersheim white vermouth

1/2 ounce lemon juice

2 drops 10% saline solution

Shake, double strain

Wine glass

Garnish: fennel pollen/bay leaf

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a shaker. Thoroughly shake and double strain into chilled glassware, preferably a coupe or a Nick and Nora glass. Then garnish.

Pro Tips

1

Rose suggests having a good set of bar tools handy at home for cocktailing. That includes a set of shaker tins, a Hawthorne strainer, a bar spoon, a muddler and a jigger. “None of these things need to be expensive or fancy, but just quality tools that you feel comfortable with. Having the right tools makes it easier and much more fun! Also, don’t be afraid to try anything! Just go for it! Half of my best drinks are just wild experiments that, on paper, might seem very weird, but then you try it, and it ends up being wonderful. Listen to the seasons and go with your heart. Also, buying the most expensive spirits or fancy ice or glassware or whatever doesn't necessarily make a better drink. And lastly, don't take yourself too seriously."

Bio

Raised on a Wisconsin farm, Katie Rose got her first taste of the food and beverage industry as a teen working at Applebee’s. She was captivated by the “organized chaos,” as she calls it. Later relocating to Milwaukee to attend college, she started waitressing and eventually landed a job as a bartender at Bay View’s Burnhearts. Her training there, plus time spent digging deep into cocktail research and sampling, helped build Rose’s reputation as a local drink-making wunderkind. In 2014, Rose and her business partners – including Paul Zerkel and Lisa Kirkpatrick – opened the critically acclaimed Goodkind Restaurant in Bay View.

Katie Rose

Goodkind

Katie Rose

Goodkind

About Goodkind