It’s a new week, and Distil, 722 N. Milwaukee St., has launched a brand new craft cocktail menu to welcome spring and look ahead to summer.
Daniel Beres, bar manager and consultant at Distil, says the goal with the new menu is really to get Distil back into the limelight with regard to great seasonal craft cocktails, while offering a Bourbon selection any connoisseur would brag to their friends about.
Classic cocktail lovers will find a friend in offerings like the Kentucky Mule, the Bourbon Sour and the Distil Manhattan, which features Elijah Craig 12-year bourbon, Cocchi Torino and Bittercube cherry bark vanilla bitters.
"For Dukes and Gods" features Broker’s gin, lemon, grapefruit, melon, Bittercube Jamaican #1 bitters and sparkling sake.
Meanwhile, "Of Luck and Legend" pairs Elijah Craig 12-year bourbon with tropical kumquat, complex molé bitters and bourbon soaked candied date.
Tequila lovers will revel in the "Steep and Temper" featuring Casa Pacific tequila, bell pepper-habanero syrup, Cocchi Rosa and Bittercube Jamaican #2.
And the fruit-forward "Distil Sangaree" provides a wine-forward alternative containing Riesling, lemon, orange, rhubarb syrup, Combier, port, Yahara Bay apple brandy and Cava.
Berres, who trained under the tutelage of Nicholas Kosevich and Ira Koplowitz says that, although he’s excited about all of the new cocktails, that the "Forbidden Flight" is one of his favorites.
The drink, which features Modest Vodka, "made in Madison," fresh mango, lime, house-made kiwi syrup, crème de framboise and Bittercube cherry bark vanilla bitters, is garnished with an edible nasturtium and served up in a martini glass.
"It’s just gorgeous," he says. "A lot of bartenders like to turn their nose up at a cocktail made with Vodka -- mostly because vodka is odorless and tasteless, and they believe it brings nothing to a cocktail. I've realized over the years that there are so many Vodka drinkers, and you're not going to change them, so why not make them something amazing with Vodka?! Give the people what they want."
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
