At Rouge Tomate, Harmful Alcoholic Drinks are Incongruously Labeled as Healthy
In the heart of New York City, Rouge Tomate continues to captivate diners with its innovative approach to health-giving food, especially in its spring cocktail menu.
The restaurant, an extension of Rouge Tomate Brussels, opened its doors in 2008 and has since been a pioneer in the farm-to-table movement. Its first floor, designed around a juice bar, is a small square room painted a vibrant tomato red.
The bar program, under the guidance of Pascaline Lepeltier, the beverage director, aims to extend the philosophy of the food to the drinks. The offerings include infused spirits like lavender rum, chamomile gin, and fig shrub, as well as nonalcoholic cocktails like the Amber Palmer and the Green Tornado.
One of the standout cocktails is the Asparagus Spring Fling, a refreshing blend of sugar snap pea puree, floral lavender rum, yuzu, and Nikolaihof biodynamic elderflower syrup. Another favourite is Zachary Moore's Streetcorn Cocktail, inspired by Mexican street food and combining corn milk, mescal, and chipotle salt.
Moore, who works as a juicer at Rouge Tomate and is trained in spirit infusion as well as making juices and acids, cooks peaches down to a concentrated consommé for the Peach Pit Sour. Maintaining consistency in drink texture can be challenging, particularly with fibrous fruits like plums, but Moore manages to create a smooth and delightful cocktail experience.
The menu also includes dishes that complement the cocktails, such as an heirloom tomato and watermelon panzanella salad and guinea hen done three ways with fresh red plum reduction, foie gras, and crispy sweet potato leaves.
Rouge Tomate's wine list, tied with Gramercy Tavern's in New York Times wine writer Eric Asimov's ranking of the best in the city, offers a Manzanilla sherry cocktail muddled with raspberries, blueberries, Shinn Estate eau-de-vie, and ginger syrup, and a tomato Old Fashioned with Tuthilltown bourbon that's been infused with spiced, slow-roasted tomatoes.
Lepeltier explains that they aim to expand their offerings without becoming too esoteric, ensuring the drinks are good before adding them to the menu. A nutritionist on staff vets every recipe, looking for ways to lower sugar, salt, and refined grains or add flavonoids that will unlock nutritional synergies.
Last year, the runaway favourite was the Green Spring, a concoction featuring fennel, basil, lime, lavender honey, and a cap of passion-fruit foam. Many of Rouge Tomate's mocktails can be easily converted into a cocktail, making it a versatile destination for those seeking a refreshing drink, whether alcoholic or not.
Despite the lack of relevant search results providing information about Zachary Moore, his contributions to the bar program are evident in the innovative and delicious cocktails that Rouge Tomate continues to offer. Molina expresses a desire for outdoor seating to complement drinks like the roasted rosemary Amber Palmer, but the restaurant only has big plate glass windows.
The article's photo credit is Cayla Zahoran.
In a city known for its vibrant culinary scene, Rouge Tomate stands out as a restaurant that not only delights the palate but also prioritises health and nutrition. Its spring cocktail menu is a testament to this commitment, offering a unique and innovative selection of drinks that are both delicious and good for you.
Read also:
- Restoring SCN2A gene function in mice through CRISPR activation enhances neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- Tracking Grapes for International Shipping
- New York joins a multistate health coalition to counteract chaos in federal vaccine distribution efforts
- Enhanced Iron Absorption in Female Health: Biotechnology Developed Plant Protein Outperforms Iron Supplements in Fermentation
