Craft cocktail craze on the rise?

Most people have heard of smoked BBQ or smoked bacon, but smoked cocktails?

Bartender Dan Williams, of Iniga Pizzeria Napoletana, isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of traditional bar experiences as he gets out a tube and glass chemistry flasks to smoke drinks, creating a multi-sensory experience for curious diners. His creations tend to attract an eye or two at the Ottawa pizza restaurant on experimental Molecular Monday nights.

“People were looking at me like I was nuts,” Williams said when he first started doing it at the former Duffy’s Tavern in Utica.

But it attracted a following, and he’s introduced other unique custom cocktails and experiences in both Ottawa and at Star Union Spirits in the Westclox building in Peru.

Tom Ptak and Lynn Cawley were dining at the restaurant Monday night and Ptak said the cocktail creations at Iniga brought "a little bit of the city" into the area.

He said he typically drinks craft cocktails during special occasions but tends to appreciate watching, as he did when Williams smoked a few drinks for the two to try.

Ptak said they both loved the flavor but added it's also interesting just to watch the bartenders and "the art of the bar."

"They make it fun and it's fun to watch," Cawley added.

It’s just one way bartenders are hoping their cocktails stand out and entice consumers into their bar or restaurant instead of staying at home.

“There’s a certain element of artistry to it because everyone puts their own little spin and flavor in,” Williams said of the expanding market.

“I think (a cocktails boom) is happening nationwide and people have a reason to get out. They want an experience. They want something they can take a picture and say ‘Look what I’m having tonight,’ ” Williams said.

For Williams, it begins with a “flavor profile,” such as sweet or bitter and develops from there. He’s prepared peppermint infused vodka as a base for a holiday cocktail that in final design may include additional creams or fruits.

Sometimes an interactive element is added, such as having a customer add the last ingredient causing a color change, or trying a drink unique to both the customer and the bartender and providing feedback.

“They want that customer interaction and they want to feel like that drink is made for them,” he later added.

Nate Skoflanc, of Cat’sEye in Ottawa, said he’s noticed the cocktails trend as well, which he said has been growing in Chicago and its suburbs.

“I think people are more adventurous in their dining options than they used to be and craft cocktails lean toward that type of guest,” he added.

Skoflanc said wine remains their top seller, but many are embracing the traditional cocktails such as an Old Fashioned or vodka lemonade, but are looking for natural, local ingredients as well as unique flavors to complement familiar drinks.

For Skoflanc, an idea begins with what he envisions himself drinking.

“What would make me want to get off my couch and go out tonight?” Skoflanc asks.

“You create a unique drink to bring them into the bar, but it needs to be good to bring them back,” he added.

A traditional Old Fashioned could be spiced up with Illinois- or Wisconsin-produced maple syrup instead of simple syrup.

Skoflanc said the business started out offering five cocktails and that selection since has grown to 12.

Meanwhile, others have shrunk their offerings to focus on particular favorites.

Kate Ryba, of Corner 230 in Ottawa, said they opened with around 40 themed drinks but tend to focus now on custom, seasonal offerings.

She notes the cocktails are enjoyed by those who order them, but it’s not the main draw for customers. Instead, food and wine tend to be a more popular item.

Still, the restaurant offers unique drinks such as its homemade sangria and spicy bloody mary made with pepper-infused vodka, which resides on shelves behind the bar.

Broadway Pub owner Aaron Scudder also hasn’t seen a dramatic interest in cocktails in Streator, but the bar introduced craft cocktails anyway as a way to find unique ways to use popular liquors.

“It was just our own thing where we wanted to create a market rather than have a market come to us,” Scudder said.

Scudder said he views it as a way to encourage people to get off their couch and eat and drink at his business rather than at home.

Craft cocktails are more difficult to create at home compared to buying a beer or bottle of wine and the average home doesn’t have the amount of liquor available for mixing that a bar would have.

One of Broadway Pub's drinks, the Bulldog, requires seven different parts.

“And part of it is giving a show to the customer, too,” Scudder said. “If you’re a bartender, typically all eyes are on you."

And others are focused on providing the classic cocktails, at the best they can be.

Nick Gorogianis, the proprietor of Barrel Society in Princeton, said they aren’t as concerned with “smoke and mirrors” when it comes to interactivity with guests and instead focus solely on creating simple, trusted recipes to perfection.

“That in my opinion is a general reflection of what my customers expect and what they look for,” Gorogianis said.

“You’re getting a world-class cocktail. It’s really a simple thing,” he added.

For them, cocktails come in just under craft beer as far as popularity with guests. He said guests' desire for cocktails reflects a similar desire in food — more people are looking for quality, unique dishes.

Williams also suggests it’s likely the same, and doesn’t think the increased interest in cocktails suggests a necessarily large increase in drinking among diners.

Instead, it may come down to getting a particular flavor rather than a specific alcohol content.

“People are more careful about their alcohol consumption than they ever have been before and so they want quality. I think that’s the difference,” Williams said.

Overall, he's enthused by the industry as it currently exists and looks forward to seeing where it advances.

“The more the industry advances the better it is. The more people know about it the more people want to try new places. So I wish there were more places,” Williams said.

“And it’s fun,” he added. “It’s a passion, it’s an art, it’s more than just go to work and pour drinks.”