Back Down South

Corey Phillips – Bellina Alimentari

fullres_coreyphillips01Photographed in Atlanta, GA

Raised in:
Suburbiaville, Georgia

Lives in:
Resident ATLien, Inman Park

How you landed at Bellina-Alimentari:
I guess it was an alignment of the cosmos that brought me here. I had just left One Eared Stag, which holds a very special place in my heart, in search of a new adventure. One of my great friends and regulars, Sue Collins (editor at BuckHaven Mag) reached out to me to see if I was interested in a new concept that would be opening later in the year at Ponce City Market. I had been very interested in the development over the years and when I met with our owner Tal, I knew this was going to be something special and I had to be involved.

Favorite cocktail on the menu:
Hands down the Pagliaccio, which translates to Rodeo Clown. I used to watch this classic film, “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys,” starring Ben Johnson, Scott Glenn and Gary Busey with my Nanny Granny Shirley. One of my first childhood dreams was to be a cowboy or rodeo clown. Not to say the dream is no longer a possibility, but this cocktail will be my representation for now. Each ingredient plays its own role and really adds an intriguing depth of flavor as the great characters do for this film. It’s boozy but still a light, low alcohol aperitif cocktail that’s great for those patio evenings moving into the fall season. The 2006 Radikon Oslavje has a considerable amount of tannin, given the long maceration that the grapes see, and lends a beautiful coppery color. It also provides a needed silkiness to round out the slighty bittersweet Gran Classico. The Carlo Alberto Riserva Vermut Bianco adds a bright, light feel to the drink that won’t give you any hesitation about having another.

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Pagliaccio Recipe:
1 oz Radikon Oslavje 2006
1 oz Gran Classico Bitter
1 oz Carlo Alberto Riserva Vermut Bianco
Expressed lemon garnish

I stir this cocktail and then strain over some fresh cubes. This works great without ice as well but I prefer it over rocks.

Guilty Pleasure Drink:
Ice cold Budweiser

Spot you most frequent in PCM:
I had to ban myself from El Super Pan because it became a daily ritual. Cubans, red beans and rice and Orange Fanta (aka heaven in a glass bottle). And those little piggy cookies get me every time. The pastelillito’s are like if God made hot pockets. Spiller Park hits the spot, too.

Now would ya look at that:
Meet Corey Phillips, Bar Manager of Bellina-Alimentari in Ponce City Market. 

Stephen Beehler – Cobbler Union

WEB_StephenCobblerPhotographed in Atlanta, GA

Raised in:
Kansas City, Kansas

Lives in:
Atlanta, Georgia

Tell everyone about Cobbler Union:
We started Cobbler Union to bring respect and attention back to the art and craft of shoemaking. We use a very traditional, bespoke-inspired approach to shoemaking and wrap it in a vertically integrated, direct-to-consumer business model. This combination allows us to make some of the world’s best classic shoes at 1/2 to a 1/3 the price of our heritage luxury competitors. Our new take on luxury means we focus on quality of materials and craftsmanship, not price and elitism. And by doing so, we help give more men the chance to empower and express themselves through their sense of style.

What’s most inspiring the designs right now:
All our design work is done in-house at Cobbler Union. We strive to achieve classic style and elegance, taking some of our inspirations from architecture and vintage cars. For example, our quilted heel-cups are inspired by the driver seat of an Aston Martin. We are a company focused on timeless style, not fast fashion.

Spot you most frequent in PCM:
Grabbing a table on the second floor next to the big windows that over look Ponce de Leon is a great place for me to chow down on my El Super Pan, answer some emails, and people watch.

Now would ya look at that:
Meet Stephen Beehler, Founder and Co-CEO of Cobbler Union in Ponce City Market.

Mezcal Takeover – The AC Slayer

A few years ago we featured The AC Slater by Jamie Clayton on one of our takeovers. It’s still one of my favorite cocktails he’s thought up and I make it all the time. While researching ideas for this takeover, AC came to mind as something that could be delicious with the simple swap from gin to mezcal. This text conversation with Jamie followed…

Caroline: What do you think about AC Slater being revisited with mezcal instead of Gin?? AC Slater’s Mexican Vacay?
Jamie: AC slater with mezcal is amazing and should be called the AC Slayer.
Caroline: Ahhhh…have you done it?
Jamie: I made it a few weeks ago

So, here it is. Jamie approved, Jamie renamed.

The coolest thing about a spirit so complex as mezcal is that this now tastes like a completely new recipe when in fact, the only thing that’s changed is the base.

In a shaker, muddle lemon, strawberry and one sprig of mint (smack the mint before you muddle to release the oils).
Add gin, simple syrup, St-Germain and 2 dash lavender bitters.
Add ice, shake and strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish with a mint leaf.

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Thank you to Drizly for sponsoring our Mezcal Takeover by providing a portion of the ingredients! See the other two recipes here and here. Cheers! 

Mezcal Takeover – Spicy Dead Lady

I knew I’d love this one when I came across it on Imbibe. I fell madly in love with Aperol in Italy a few years ago and simply do not use it enough. I bought Velvet Falernum for The Keelhauler and haven’t used it since, so I was eager to dust off those two bottles. Plus, I’m a sucker for an all equal-parts cocktail. Thanks to Grant Wheeler of The Garret in NYC for creating it!

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Shake all ingredients together with ice.
Strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish with a lime wheel if you so desire.

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Thank you to Drizly for sponsoring this post by providing a portion of the ingredients! 

Mezcal Takeover – Dia de Los Valientes

It’s our first Mini Takeover! Three days, three cocktails. This one is exciting. First, we’re focusing on mezcal, an ingredient we’ve yet to experiment with or feature. Second, we had the awesome chance to partner with Drizly to make it happen! Drizly is the leading on-demand alcohol delivery service in the U.S. and Canada. You simply place your order to have beer, wine, or liquor delivered to your doorstep within an hour. They combine the best selection and price, content-rich and personalized shopping experiences, and the speed and convenience of on-demand delivery to Drizly deliver “The Joy of Drinking™” to legal-age drinkers across the United States, including a handful of Southern cities!

You’ve likely heard mezcal described as the “cousin of tequila.” The at once sweet, savory and smoky cousin. In my opinion, it tastes like what would happen if tequila and scotch got together and drank a little too much tequila and scotch and, well, you know…

I’ve got to thank Imbibe for one of the more simple (and much more accurate than my own) explanations of the mezcal process I found: “Unlike tequila, where the hearts of the agave plants are oven-steamed, Mezcal production involves slow-roasting the hearts in covered, underground firepits. The pulp from the smoked agave is then fermented and distilled, resulting in a spirit redolant of the smoke that permeated it early on.” That’s enough learning for now, let’s move on to the drinking, shall we?

First up, Día de los Valientes! This is adapted from the Día Del Muerto cocktail from Atlanta’s Pura Vida, one of our favorite spots that is now closed. The main difference is the use of Mexican Fernet instead of Fernet-Branca. The former is smoother and doesn’t have the explosion of peppermint oil, though it’s just as bitter. You’ve gotta be brave (valiente) for this one. It is dark and it is boozy!

Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice.
Strain into a rocks glass over a large cube – we use a Neat Ice Kit for clear ice.
No garnish.

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Thank you to Drizly for sponsoring this post by providing a portion of the ingredients! 

Phil Sanders – Citizen Supply

full_philsandersPhotographed in Atlanta, GA

Raised in:
All over. Grew up in Kenya but landed in Forsyth in 2001.

Lives in:
Atlata, Georgia

How Citizen Supply came to be:
What started as a pop-up marketplace in our co-working space Foster ATL turned into a full on reality last November. My goal has always been to help bridge the gap between where artists, makers, and entrepreneurs are currently and where they’d like to be. We curate an incredible line-up of brands from local and abroad and brings them to one storefront. We currently have over 75 companies represented in the shop and are growing almost every other week. My favorite project we’re working on now is building out the in-store makers space!

Maker(s) in the shop you’re digging most right now:
Bradley Mountain, Billiam Jeans and Mick Bailey Boards.

Spot(s) you most frequent in PCM:
Biltong Bar is my spot. GREAT cocktails (I’m a whiskey man) and their staff is killer. Botiwalla and Ton Ton are pretty much a daily tradition for me. Spiller Park is also the reason I’m not mad all the time. Need that caffeine.

Now would ya look at that:
Meet Phil Sanders, Founder of Citizen Supply in Ponce City Market.

Dale Donchey – Spiller Park

Photographed in Atlanta, GA

Raised in:
The mean sidewalks of Richmond, Virginia

Lives in:
Atlanta, Georgia (13 years and running)

Y’all say “Coffee So Good We Drink It Ourselves” so gotta ask, what’s your go-to order:
I crush black coffee everyday. Complex, sweet, and bright all day. Which could be me in general in days that end with “y.”

Spot(s) you most frequent at PCM:
I love a lot of the spots in PCM. I’m a lucky guy to have all the delicious things. I’d say that I spend most of my times at Biltong, The Mercury, Minero and King of Pops. And for about a 2 months solid I had pizza at Brezza for lunch.

Now would ya look at that:
Meet Dale Donchey, Owner and Partner at Spiller Park in Ponce City Market. “I think that my title is something like Managing Partner, but I like ‘Coach.'” Spend 15 seconds with this guy and he’s your friend, though you’ll likely wish he was your best friend.

Julian Goglia – The Mercury

fullres_mercury-001Photographed in Atlanta, GA

Raised in:
Atlanta, Georgia

Lives in:
Atlanta, Georgia

Favorite cocktail on the menu right now:
The original project name for what became The Mercury was actually The Viceroy. We ended up having to change it pretty late in the game, and tweak a few minor aspects of the concept. A lot of our inspiration was pulled from the 50’s & 60’s and really made Brooks, Mike, and I excited about tiki drinks, Scotch, prime rib, and east coast hot spots like Toots Shor. If you’ve never seen pictures of their giant circular bar, it was a behemoth center piece just like ours.

The Ode to Viceroy is honestly one of our favorite drinks on our menu, and will always be a staple cocktail at The Mercury. The zing of fresh ginger and spice of falernum are balanced out by fresh lime juice. The very mild peat from Compass Box’s Great King St. Blend not only mixes amazing well in the drink, but adds a touch of smokiness that pairs well with the period of time that inspired us.

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Go-to cocktail to order elsewhere:
I generally stick with whiskey & water when we’re out and about. At a cocktail bar, I might opt for a Mai Tai or three.

Spot(s) you most frequent at PCM:
I really enjoy hanging at Spiller Park. I’d highly recommend starting your day off with a Piccolo + Toast w/ Jam ‘n Ricotta. Brezza is usually our top choice when the three of us want to step away and relax for a second.

Now would ya look at that:
Julian Goglia, Partner and Beverage Director of The Mercury and The Pinewood. I had a great time a few years ago photographing him at the later while enjoying four of his cocktails. Rest assured that what he’s up to at The Mercury in Ponce City Market is worth a visit. I recommend getting there early, grabbing one of the 35 seats at the bar and trusting any of the folks making your cocktail to whip up anything of their choice. I’ve done this every time I’ve been there and have not been disappointed. Case and point: The Ode to Viceroy. This is not something I’d choose on a list, and when Julian slid it over to me I was still a tad uncertain. But in my experience drinking his creations, it surprises you, goes down real quick and leaves a big smile on your face as you order another.

HTX!

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Texas, it’s time. WE’RE MOVING HOME!

Our time in Georgia has given us a lifetime of joyful memories. Truly, it’s been the best. I’m confident that we will always look back and tell stories of days and nights with friends we wouldn’t have without this place, as some of the greatest of our lives. And at the same time, we’re so grateful that we’ll be welcomed in Houston with hugs in October from some of our best friends and family. Bittersweet, all around.

Jasper, despite it’s small town quirks and frustrations, has been the happiest home for us. SharpTop Cove has been a dream come true for Mark and a place of immense goodness for me. Atlanta has been our getaway and we’ll deeply miss the city and the people who’ve made it so rich. The Southeast, all around, has changed us in so many ways. In our time having Georgia as home base, we’ve traveled near and far to taste and see what it has to offer. Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Johnson City, Charleston, Savannah, Birmingham, Athens, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Charlotte, Charlottesville, D.C…to name a few. We are forever better for the cities and people we got to meet and enjoy and learn and stretch and grow. Eat, Drink and Be Merry – we’ve  lived that out big time.

There’s a lot of mystery, a lot of tears, and a lot of adventure ahead. But y’all, we won’t lie: we’re real giddy to call HTX home and see where this next chapter takes us! I will still be doing photography and continuing Back Down South. Sure, it’ll become a little Texan heavy, but it’ll still hold true to what it’s been.

I know we have a lot of Houston readers, and I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment, shoot an email, and follow the excitement on Instagram. We’d love your recommendations of spots to check out, people who should be featured, cocktails that need to be tried – all of it. Don’t be a stranger, please! 

Texas Forever. 

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