72 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • AUGUST 2019
SWALLOW EAST
COCKTAIL TEA SERVICE
By CJ ARLOTTA
If you’re looking for a cocktail experience
in Montauk this summer,
then you’ll want to bring a group of
friends with you for a special tea time
at Swallow East Restaurant.
The Midsummer Solstice G & tea
party is not just a cocktail. It’s an interactive
experience. And it’s a nod to
its creator’s grandma.
“Growing up, I spent a lot of time with
my grandmother,” says Mariah Finkelman,
bar manager at the waterside
eatery nearby Gosman’s Dock. “Any
time I would go over to her house,
we would make a giant mess of the
kitchen, cooking bread and pasta
while we sipped tea at the kitchen table
and had tea parties. I have a large
mismatched teacup collection back
home because of her. I always thought
it would be fun to have a cocktail ‘tea
service,’ and I was lucky to partner
with Hendrick's Gin to bring that to
life. This cocktail is my homage to my
favorite person, my grandmother.”
For Midsummer Solstice G &
tea party, she uses Hendrick's
Midsummer Solstice, raspberry
infused violet liqueur, fresh
s q u e e z e d
lemon juice,
s i m p l e
syrup, and
four dashes of
orange bitters
for balance.
“It's more
than just a
cocktail, it's
a whole experience,”
she says. “I wanted to
make this drink fun
and interactive. It's
definitely a conversation
starter. The
drink really captures the essence of
summer with its fresh flavors and
beautiful shade of violet.”
She begins by infusing
the violet liqueur with
fresh raspberries for
a few hours.
“Once the raspberries
have been infused
long enough and
all the flavor is
drawn out, I strain
and begin
batching
e a c h
t e a -
pot,” she says. “I shake all the ingredients
together with ice, fill our teapots,
and serve it in teacups with a fresh
raspberry garnish for each.”
This cocktail serves four to six guests
who want “something light, refreshing
and fun,” Finkelman says.
“The feedback has been great,” she
says. “People are so surprised and excited
to be drinking a cocktail served
out of a teapot with teacups.”
Swallow East Restaurant is located
at 474 West Lake Dr. in Montauk. It
can be reached at 631-668-8344 or
swalloweastrestaurant.com
MAIN DISH
The Midsummer Solstice G &
tea party is a cocktail like no
other.
of MINEOLA
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