Bar Manager Geoff Smith and The Ship of the Line.
Birch Hill Tavern
1320 Manchester Road
Glastonbury, CT
Located in Highland Park Market in Glastonbury, award-winning Birch Hill Tavern offers New American comfort fare at its buzzing bar and grill. Birch Hill Tavern Owners Jessica Cote and Robert Nicholson have created a niche neighborhood hangout that is perfect for hosting its themed dinners, happy hours and industry nights. A full menu of innovative and inviting bites and dishes is artfully administered under new Executive Chef Jacob Sorbo. Craft brews, wine and cocktails take center stage under Bar Manager Geoff Smith, who draws inspiration from the changing seasons, places and people who have had influence along the way.
Bar Manager: Geoff Smith
Cocktail: The Ship of the Line
Ingredients:
» 1.5 oz. Pimm’s No. 1 Liqueur
» .75 oz. St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
» .75 oz. fresh lime juice
» .5 oz. Batavia Arrack
» .5 oz. Barr Hill Tom Cat Gin
» Garnish: orange peel
» Large ice cube
Method: Add Pimm’s, St-Germain, lime juice, Batavia Arrack and gin to a shaker. Shake and strain into rocks glass over a large ice cube. Express with an orange peel and add as garnish.
The Ship of the Line cocktail.
The cocktail was created by Bar Manager Geoff Smith in memory of his mentor, Aaron Butler, who he worked for at Cambridge, Massachusetts’ Russell House Tavern. “It’s a tribute to him. I lightly modified his modern classic called The Battle of Trafalgar to have a little bit of a stiffer backbone. Conceptually, the cocktail is an a la minute East Indies punch, where the enormous flavor complexity of a large-format cocktail is preserved in a much more manageable size,” he said. “The gin and Indonesian proto rum give the drink strength and funk, while the Pimm’s, St-Germain and honey notes offer layers of sweet complexity without being cloying. Pimm’s doubles as a highly botanical aperitif bitter and a strong lime pop balances with good acidity. It’s a gorgeous mix in any season, but I think it shines best on a winter day with its tropical notes as a little escape.”
