Sip Northwest, Fall 2016

T ake a look at a bar menu in Seattle and youll likely see a mix of classic cocktails newfangled inventions emphasizing seasonal ingredients plus some wine and beer The same is true at most restaurants albeit with slightly longer wine lists But at Downtown Seattles Heartwood Provisions Beverage Director Amanda Reed has designed an original concept altogether featuring coursed cocktail recommendations for a composed match With a background writing menus and tending bar at hot spots like RN74 and Tavern Law she has the experience and enthusiasm to create an entirely new movement How did you get involved at Heartwood Provisions Josh Anderson whos the director of operations had an idea awhile back for a restaurant where every dish was paired with a cocktail He had only seen it on tasting menus but he stuck with it For a long time he had Chef Varin Keokitvon in mind Once they found me and put us together we just took off 88 S I P N O R T H W E S T C O M The cocktails at Heartwood are a little different than at other restaurants Can you explain how The drinks are smaller so guests can have several Also we swapped the base spirits out for lighter spirits and wine based booze with traditional base spirits used in smaller doses How did those cocktails evolve into what they are today When I first started I was approaching it more like regular style full proof cocktails but found that they were overpowering Varins food And a lot of times they were too hot so they kind of disappeared under the foods flavors I started playing with the idea of keeping it simple and lowering the proof messing around with the new vermouths that were entering the marketplace as well as the expanded winebased options Being a wine person Ive always enjoyed working with Lambrusco and late harvest wines and since Ive worked mostly in restaurants Ive used those for cocktail pairings in the past I found that the simple drinks were often better and that with lower proof drinks they function almost like a garnish to enhance the flavors and bring them out rather than drowning them How often do you change the menu at Heartwood We change a menu item with a drink pairing every week Cocktails have been rotating with the seasons At Cocktail Hour we do classic cocktails which also rotate seasonally Im always trying to keep things fresh and interesting What has the response been from customers Its been great really A lot of guests who are non cocktail drinkers have found that they enjoy the lighter smaller cooler cocktails we make For a lot of people spirits taste really strong but adding the right soda or beer or wine makes them more approachable Whats your inspiration for menu development Im inspired by flavors I find in all different realms Sometimes its other dining or cocktail experiences and sometimes its being at the farmers market or tasting wine finding a flavor combination in nosing or tasting wine that I want to translate into a cocktail experience l With lower proof drinks they function almost like a garnish to enhance the flavors of food and bring them out rather than drowning them T W O C E N T S BY JULIA WAYNE PHOTO BY SUZI PRATT Amanda Reed Drink Development at Heartwood Provisions