00:0011 Madison Park has always had an incredible beverage program.
00:04We've been a three Michelin star restaurant that is focused on the entirety of the experience
00:09and the cocktails were always something that were super important to us.
00:12We're working with the kitchen, we're working with the farms, we're working with anything
00:15that we can take from the kitchen and reuse to work more sustainably.
00:18We take our jobs very seriously but not ourselves too seriously and that's kind of the beautiful
00:22balance that we have here at EMP.
00:25My name is Sebastian Tullius, the beverage director here at 11 Madison Park and beverage
00:29director at Clemente Bar.
00:32We have an incredible spirits list and people come and enjoy wine and cocktails but if you
00:36really dig deep into the spirits list you'll find many gems.
00:45It's an incredible platform to showcase producers and spirits from all around the world that
00:49we really believe in.
00:51I think our purchasing power is also our voice in the same way that we're supporting producers
00:55and products that we truly believe in by being able to showcase them on our list.
01:01My journey at 11 Madison Park has been incredibly rewarding because it's been educational the
01:05whole way throughout.
01:06Working with the chefs in the kitchen, working with the ingredients that we have access to
01:09has really allowed us to take more of a culinary approach in our cocktails where we can ferment
01:14something or we're really talking about building complexity with flavors that could be from
01:19making our own misos or clarifying our amazakis and these are things that we've really incorporated
01:25into our beverage program throughout the years and something that we're going to be
01:28featuring heavily at Clemente Bar as well.
01:34We want to create cocktails that we're excited about, that our industry is excited about,
01:38the city gets excited about.
01:40I think Clemente Bar will really allow us that opportunity to push that agenda much
01:44more as well.
01:46Creating something that's within 11 Madison Park, we wanted to create an extension of
01:49EMP.
01:50Yes, more accessible, a little more casual but at the same time we want to focus on craft
01:54cocktails.
01:55We're really focusing on the overall cocktail experience from bar bites to cocktails and
02:00being within this beautiful space that's painted by Francesco Clemente, it's going to be a
02:04truly special gem within New York City.
02:07Art's always been super important here at 11 Madison Park.
02:10We've worked with incredible artists all throughout our own space down here.
02:14Francesco Clemente's art is whimsical and playful and that's the vibe that we're going
02:18upstairs for the bar.
02:19For the cocktail program we wanted to draw inspiration from many different avenues.
02:25Looking at classics is always an amazing way to start but we've come so far from just riffs
02:30on classic at this point and we wanted to create original cocktails that really are
02:34inspired by flavors of nostalgia but also create cocktails that are slightly simple
02:40in their appearance and I think that's where we really differentiate the cocktail menu
02:44upstairs is that they read simple but the process that goes on behind them to create
02:49these complex cocktails is really all the work that we do behind the scenes to create
02:54these beautiful drinks.
02:59We started working on this menu almost eight months ago.
03:02Richie Millwater, my bar manager and I, we've been working on this for quite a long time
03:07and it's been really exciting to dive deep into R&D with him.
03:11We've created this great relationship of being able to work together and understanding ourselves
03:15that we're able to bounce back ideas from each other and I think that's where we really
03:19found the magic of creating this list.
03:22The R&D process for us was extremely exciting since we were trying new techniques, creating
03:27cocktails or a cocktail menu that's well-balanced in all styles of drinks, all spirit types
03:33including non-alcoholic cocktails too so the process for us has been really fun, super
03:38excited to showcase this opening menu and we're starting around 15 cocktails and we're
03:43looking to expand that selection as we're growing as well.
03:47We've actually classified the list between different sections, carbonated, clarified,
03:52bold, fresh, low ABV, so we're really trying to think outside of the box, you know, I mean
03:56when we're explaining the cocktails at Clemente Bar, they're only listed as foreign ingredients
04:00and I think that's the exciting part where you read foreign ingredients but when you
04:03actually taste the cocktail, you have so much more going on than just that.
04:07We really think about what we want to achieve before we even start picking up any bottles.
04:13I think having a plan of what direction we're going with the cocktail is more important
04:18than just start to pour ingredients into a tin or a mixing glass.
04:22The relationships that we build with farmers or purveyors or suppliers, you know, that
04:28all really affects the way that we look at the menu and how we approach the cocktail
04:32list too.
04:36For a lot of the menu, we were inspired by a lot of nostalgic things and this was definitely
04:40one of those cocktails that came to mind.
04:42This cocktail is called Apples to Oranges, we wanted to make a cocktail that's a little
04:45bit reminiscent of a orange cream scone.
04:47We're playing with those spice characteristics from the tequila but also using that coconut
04:52washed calvados that adds that apple and that orchard flavor to all of those other citrus
04:56flavors that play well with the cocktail as well.
04:58It's a light and refreshing agave crusher for sure.
05:03For me, a cocktail is about having a good time, you know, and it's like you can have
05:07the best drinks, the best bar food but if we're not engaging with the guests, if we're
05:10not making genuine connections, I think that's for me a loss and we want our guests to have
05:15a great time and that all comes through the staff that we hire, the way that we approach
05:19the table, the way that we create these connections with them as well.
05:22It's all about hospitality in the end of the day.
05:24Ensuring that we're really creating this memorable experience for the guests and creating this
05:29space that people want to come back to.
05:32This has been a project that we've been very excited about for over a year at this point
05:35so to be at the finish line right now is really exciting.
