I was writing about unique drink vessels for our Better Bartending brand and came across some Instagram-ready cocktail photos in my email box. The drinks were created by mixologist Raul Yañez of Room 09 for Intersect By Lexus in New York.
The Intersect By Lexus is a restaurant concept operated by Lexus featuring rotating chefs and cocktails. The venue is, uh, driven by the luxury car brand as “a place for guests to be entertained, inspired and educated,” according to the company. New York is the third location of Intersect By Lexus, following Tokyo and Dubai.
Summer cocktails included the Nemo (sake, Aperol, soda), which comes in a beautiful stemmed glass shaped like a blowfish, and the Lady Bird (vodka, lemongrass, papaya, egg white) served in a stemmed glass shaped like a bird.
The Condor Collins (shown atop), with Beefeater gin, tzatziki, lemon juice, simple syrup and soda, is presented in a broken-egg-shaped cup.
And the Elementary, My Dear (Scotch whiskey, passion fruit, cucumber) comes in a footed vessel shaped like a Sherlock Holmes pipe.
The restaurant, a collaboration between Intersect By Lexus NYC and Union Square Hospitality Group, launches a fresh concept every four to six months. It allows New Yorkers and world travelers “to consistently embark upon a new gastronomic adventure that is fresh, innovative and exciting,” the company says.
That means the aforementioned drinks are no longer on the menu. But here’s the full recipe for one.
Elementary, My Dear
1 oz. 18 years Chivas Regal Scotch
1 oz. Seedless passion fruit pulp
½ oz. Lemongrass syrup
½ oz. Lemon juice
½ oz. Cucumber juice
Pour all the ingredients into the shaker glass and whip hard. Serve in the crystal pipe. Add 1 ice cube in the pipe and fill with crushed ice. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon slice with a crest of mint in the center of the lemon.