Cheers

Cheers

The Beverage Business Magazine for Full-Service Restaurants and Bars

  • Beverage Trends
    • Beer
    • Wine
    • Spirits
    • Wine Reviews
    • Marketing
    • Operations
  • Recipes
    • What I’m Drinking Now
    • Submit a Drink Recipe
  • Resources
    • eRNDC Login
    • SG Proof Login
    • CORE: Children of Restaurant Employees
  • Events & Awards
    • Cheers Beverage Summit
    • Growth Brands
    • BevX Awards
    • Supplier Awards
  • Podcasts
  • E-News
    • E-News Subscribe
  • Digital Issues
  • Cheers@Home

Meet The Mixologist: Morgan Weber

02/15/2022

by: Melissa Dowling

Morgan Weber

Morgan Weber is a co-owner and beverage director of Agricole Hospitality, which includes the Miss Carousel cocktail bar and lounge in Houston, TX.

What was your first job in the beverage or hospitality industry?

I didn’t come to the food and beverage industry in the most traditional way. I had never actually worked in the industry at all, when I opened a cocktail bar called Anvil Bar & Refuge with Bobby Heugel and Kevin Floyd [in 2009].

What is your favorite spirit to work with at the moment?

Right now, I’m really leaning into and enjoying all of the new sotols coming into Texas from Northern Mexico, as well as the new ones popping up from distilleries around Texas. The flavor profiles are so complex and change drastically from producer to producer. We’ve had a lot of fun exploring how sotol plays as a base spirit in a wide range of classic cocktails.

Miss Carousel recently launched a new menu of ‘90s club cocktails; how are the 2022 versions reimagined?

Advertisement

We thought it would be fun to take a hard look at some of those popular cocktails that we now consider to mostly illicit an eyeroll. What we found is that inherently they’re not bad ideas, they were just executed poorly — bad ingredients to start with, poured with too much sugar, and no balance. Our approach is actually pretty simple: don’t take ourselves too seriously, use amazing ingredients and fine-tune the details to get a balanced and interesting drink.

Why do you think there’s such interest in these sweet, boozy and kitchy cocktails today?

I think people are worn out on the pretension that has become the norm in the modern cocktail movement. I think these drinks were lovable to start with and just circled the drain when people tried to make them as cheap and fast as possible.

Sugar and acid getting too much of a heavy hand speaks to modern America’s disposition of loving sugar in insane quantities. Hopefully we are moving away from that, but we really try to strive for balance. Not too much of anything, and just enough of everything.

What has been the most popular cocktail at Miss Carousel?

From day one, it’s actually been our Gin & Tonic, which we treat in a slightly Spanish-inspired way. Our base is a great London Dry-style gin from The Marfa Spirit Co., Suze, Falernum, clarified lime juice, elderflower tonic and basil — served in a big fishbowl-esque glass with a ton of big, beautiful clear ice. It’s complicated but still easy and refreshing.

What’s your own current go-to cocktail or beverage?

At home, I’ve been consistently making Sotol Rickeys. They’re pretty much the predecessor of the modern day Ranchwater. They’re super simple — chilled sotol, fresh lime juice and Topo Chico, built over a generous amount of ice in a highball glass.

Would you share one of your favorite drink recipes?

For sure. Our Eight Row Flint Ranchwater [at Agricole Hospitality’s whiskey/beer/taco bar Eight Row Flint] has been a customer favorite for years.

Eight Row Flint Ranchwater
Print Pin

Eight Row Flint Ranchwater

Course Drinks
Keyword Lemon-lime soda, Lime oleo saccharum, sotol, Topo Chico sparkling water

Ingredients

  • 2 oz. Sotol
  • 1 oz. Fresh lime
  • ½ oz. Lime oleo saccharum*
  • Topo Chico mineral water
  • Grapefruit peels

Instructions

  • In a tall Collins glass (12-14 oz.), combine sotol, lime juice and lime oleo.
  • Fill to the top with ice.
  • Stir to chill.
  • Fill to the top slowly, with chilled Topo Chico.
  • Garnish by expressing the oil into the glass of three fat grapefruit peels.

Notes

*For lime oleo saccharum: Remove the peels of a dozen limes and let soak in two cups of dry cane sugar for 24 hours. Empty into a medium sized pan and add one cup of water. Over medium heat stir to dissolve sugar. Before it boils, remove lime peels. Then let boil for 10 seconds. Once cool, oleo can be refrigerated for a month.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Eight Row Flint Ranchwater Houston cocktail bars Miss Carousel Morgan Weber

Last modified: 03/09/2022

Previous Story:
The Top Beer Trends in 2021-22
Piña Gardenrita Next Story:
9 Recipes For Margarita Day 2022

About the Author: Melissa Dowling

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




In The News

  • Elijah Craig Unveils Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch B522
  • DISCUS, Pronghorn Partner to Improve DEI in Spirits
  • White Claw Releases REFRSHR Hard Lemonade
  • Freddie Noe Named Master Distiller of Fred B. Noe Distillery
  • Sonoma-Cutrer Releases Two New California Chardonnay Vintages
  • Podcast: Legal Cannabis and Cannabis Beverages
More News >>
logo
Food Advertisements by

Follow Us

Facebook
Twitter

Featured Drink

  • The Sun Cup
    The Suncup cocktail

Drink Recipes

  • 9 Cocktails For Memorial Day 2022
  • The Sun Cup
  • Attitude Is Everything
  • Amor de Madre
  • 8 Cinco de Mayo Drinks For 2022

Current Issue

Cheers Current Issue

Cheers Magazine

  • About Cheers
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Market Research

Events & Awards

  • Beverage Excellence Awards
  • Cheers Beverage Summit
  • Growth Brands Awards

Magazines

  • Cheers
  • Beverage Dynamics
  • StateWays
  • Beverage Wholesaler
  • Beverage Handbooks (research)

E-Newsletters

  • Better Bartending
  • Cheers
  • Beverage Dynamics
  • StateWays
  • Beverage Wholesaler
  • Beverage Universe
  • Cannabis Regulator
  • About EPG Brand Acceleration
  • Send File
  • Privacy Policy
© Cheers Magazine. All rights reserved.