Properly Sauced: The Southern Gent

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Oct 25, 2010 6:40PM

The most intriguing aspect of Ed Marszewski's complete overhaul of his mother's Bridgeport bar and package store is the community cocktail menu. Instead of bringing in a ringer like the Whislter's Paul McGee or Brad Bolt of Bar DeVille to craft a cocktail menu, the list of highballs is being crafted by neighborhood locals and customers on a case-by-case basis. It fits with Marszewski's concept of bringing back the semblance of community to the tavern and gives those customers who do land a drink on the menu a sense of ownership and pride.

Already, Maria's makes an amazing Dark & Stormy (christened the "Bridgeport Dark & Stormy"). Now a group of amateur cocktail enthusiasts called "The Hornswagglers" has been fleshing out the menu. One of my favorite Hornswaggler concoctions is a rye-based highball that's easy to mix. Why it's called "The Southern Gent" I have no idea, but it expertly mixes rye with citrus and bitters, and keeps me coming back for more.

The Southern Gent

1 ounce Jim Beam Rye
1/2 ounce peach liqueur
i ounce grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
dash of Angostura bitters

Shake the first four ingredients and pour into a highball glass filled with ice. Add bitters.