Behind The Stick: It's A Tarts & Vicars Party At L'etage

By Paul Leddy in Food on Apr 11, 2013 8:20PM

The Tarts & Vicar Cocktail at L'etage

Bartenders find inspiration for their cocktails from many different sources. Some may find it by trying new liquors or exploring a combination that they had at a restaurant. Others may be inspired by a guest request or by something that they have seen from their colleagues.

This may be the first time a cocktail was inspired directly by the movie Bridget Jones Diary.

It may sound like an odd place to find inspiration, but L’etage bartender Nick Smith thought the name of a party in the movie: Tarts & Vicars, was so great that he had to try to make something inspired by it. He used Benedictine, an herbal liqueur developed by Benedictine monks (the Vicar), and tart grapefruit and house-made horehound bitters (the Tarts) to make his cocktail. He rounds out the cocktail nicely with Combier (a French orange liqueur) and a few drops of honey-clove syrup.

Although, L’etage has only been open for a few months, what caught our eye was the interesting cocktail menu that Nick has put together. This wasn’t a cocktail spot that had tired, uninspired regurgitations of the classic cocktails. Here, he takes interesting turns with house-made bitters, shrubs, and aigre-doux. The result is interesting, yet, still approachable cocktails served in a comfortable, relaxing space.

I'm sure Bridget Jones would feel at home here, bunny costume or not.