64 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • APRIL 2018
PRESS MAIN DISH
By CJ ARLOTTA
Tequila-based Gulp of Mexico, a
twist on tiki cocktails that
traditionally call for rum, was aged
in the minds of the mixologists who
concocted it at Salt & Barrel in Bay
Shore.
One of the oyster and craft cocktail
bar’s owners has been holding the fiveingredient
drink back for two years
due to its complexity — until now.
“The Gulp of Mexico basically came
about when I was trying to think
of a tiki cocktail,” says Morgan
Flynn, who co-owns Salt & Barrel
with Ryan Flynn, his sister; his dad,
Jim Flynn; and Danielle Grosseto,
another partner.
Flynn, 43, who stopped bartending
a few years back, swaps rum for
tequila as the main spirit in Gulp
of Mexico. The cocktail specifically
calls for añejo tequila, which is a
“big, aged tequila, and it’s full of
flavor.” This tequila “plays with all
of the other ingredients.”
He didn’t settle on the tequila type
until after crafting the majority of
the drink. He began with orgeat
syrup, an almond-based ingredient
commonly found in classic
tiki cocktails. Every additional
ingredient leads him down another
path, but what matters is that
everything ends up connecting.
“Basically, to me, when I’m creating
something, it’s like a web,” Flynn
says. Orgeat syrup pointed him to
Luxardo Amaretto di Saschira, an
Italian liqueur based on apricots
and almonds — “That’s the
flavoring of it.”
The amaretto directed him to
Giffard Apricot Liqueur, a golden
yellow liqueur with almond and
apricot notes and aromas. The nutty
profile and dry fruit led him to
sherry.
“A lot of sherries actually have
notes of dry nuts, dry fruit to
them,” he says. It was after adding
sherry to the mix that he evaluated
tequila types for Gulp of Mexico.
“I would say when it comes to
cocktail making and stuff, not only
does my passion for bartending all
those years show through, but also
a lot of the time I spent in the
culinary world — in the kitchens
and learning food...” he says.
He based his decision
to go with añejo on
the following: Blanco
would disappear and
reposado wouldn’t be
“heavy enough.” This left
the co-owner with only one
option: añejo.
Fresh-pressed lime juice pulls
the drink together, and it’s the last
ingredient to go into the shaker.
“We just want it chilled,” he says.
“We don’t want to dilute it.”
The bartender then shakes the
cocktail shaker softly, being careful
not to dilute the finished product.
The chilled liquid is poured over
ice resting in a stemless tulip glass.
“It basically looks like a tiki drink,”
he says.
The cocktail is then garnished with
dehydrated pineapple rind.
“The cocktail never made it onto
the menu in the beginning,” he says.
“It’s a drink that I created a long
time ago, but it was so complex. You
don’t think five ingredients is that
complex, but when you’re trying
to make a lot of drinks and you’re
doing a lot of stuff, it is a lot.
“Most classic cocktails are three
ingredients,” he continues. “You
never think that getting two more
is that difficult, but it is, and it’s
time-consuming. It wasn’t until my
bar staff got to the point where I felt
comfortable with them — that they
could execute this drink when they
were busy on Friday, Saturday night
— I added it on.”
Added to the restaurant’s bar
menu just a few months ago, Gulp
of Mexico is for the Salt & Barrel
customer who wants a smooth
drink with a “little bit of a kick.”
Someone longing for summer, toes
in sand, and sun rays tanning skin
and warming rough seas.
“Knock the Corona over, and have a
Gulp of Mexico,” he says.
Salt & Barrel is located at 61 West
Main St. in Bay Shore. They can
be reached at 631-647-8818 or
saltandbarrel.com.
THE GULP
OF MEXICO
Bay Shore’s tequila-based tiki cocktail