Saba’s Lead Bartender Will Strout started making cocktails before he could drive. “I asked for a cocktail shaker set for my birthday at 15,” he said. “The ‘Bramble’ was the first drink I made that my dad really loved…my mom preferred margaritas.” He began with the foundations. “A classic daiquiri made me fall in love with bartending,” he said. Then he moved on to more obscure potables like a ruby port clarified milk punch. He returned from college during the pandemic, eventually bartending at Saba. Strout describes their current menu as “Israeli/Mediterranean-tiki” with floral inspired ingredients like the rose water featured in his cheekily named “Rum-Springa.” Strout enjoys the perks of Saba’s kitchen, where he makes chamomile-infused bourbon or black tea milk-washed vodka using techniques from the 1400s. “We have lots of stuff that would be too hard to do at home.” He ought to know, since that’s where it all began.
Rum-Springa
6 drops rose water
0.75 ounce lime
0.5 ounce pineapple juice
0.5 ounce cream of coconut
0.75 ounce Kleiner Feigling fig liqueur
1.5 ounces Appleton rum
Garnish: Edible flowers
Shake all ingredients without ice (called a dry shake) until mixed well. The dry shake helps the cream of coconut really incorporate into the drink. Add ice and shake for a short time, about 5 seconds. Strain over pebble ice. Garnish with edible flowers.
- Kleiner Feigling fig liqueur is 100% fig with no additives or flavors. It’s a digestive so it’s not overly sweet and works well with any cognac style cocktails. It’s also great on the rocks with a twist of lemon.
- Baby T Rex Farms are a local grower for edible flowers. They don’t use pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
- “Regarding Cocktails” by Sasha Petraske is Strout’s favorite cocktail book. “There is no fluff…all they care about is technique.”
