Brittney Sienkwicz, beverage manager for Ralph’s on the Park, entered the restaurant business at 13 and never left. That broad experience has shaped her leadership style into something her boss calls “The Brittney Effect.” “I’m a staff first manager,” she said. “If I show through my leadership that they can achieve anything…they will in turn give our guests an exceptional experience.” Sienkwicz especially focuses on mentoring and supporting women in the company. She worked closely with Chelsea Bolds, Ralph’s bar lead, on a cocktail menu inspired by the restaurant’s proximity to City Park, with drinks like “The Carousel,” “Singing Oaks” and “Storyland.” “Rimbaud’s Dream #2” is a painting at NOMA, and Sienkwicz explains that the painting’s imagery evokes summer in New Orleans. “It’s dreamy, it’s hazy, it’s something that you don’t wake from until you’ve had enough, and you think ‘I can’t be hot anymore!’” In the midst of a long, hot, dreamy summer, a cool drink always helps.
Ingredients
1 oz lime juice
1/4 oz agave syrup
4 cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 oz Altos Olmeca Plata Tequila
1 oz blueberry syrup (see recipe)
a pinch of salt
Garnish: A leaf of Cuban oregano or sprig of regular oregano
- Blueberry syrup
1 cup fresh blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 oz vodka (optional)
Directions
- Place the lime and agave with the tomatoes in a shaker tin and muddle well. Add the remaining ingredients and ice, then shake vigorously. Double strain over fresh ice and serve in a short glass. Garnish with a leaf of Cuban oregano or regular oregano.
- Blueberry syrup
- Add baking soda to a bowl of water and submerge the berries for one minute to remove impurities. Rinse berries in fresh water and thoroughly dry. Place berries in a Ziplock bag and coat generously with sugar. Seal the bag and gently mash berries with a rolling pin. Open the bag. Remove all air before final seal by placing the bag in a pot of water and slowly submerging to let all the air out of the bag. Do not let water in. Seal bag and set on the counter for six to eight hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer into a glass jar, pressing the berries to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the remains. Syrup keeps in the refrigerator for one week. Adding one ounce of vodka per two cups of syrup will help it last about one month, chilled.
Notes
- 1. The pinch of salt is a small amount, but Sienkwicz says it is essential to balance the sweetness and sour of the drink.
2. Using a normal strainer followed with a fine mesh strainer removes any remaining tomato pieces and makes a prettier drink.
3. The blueberry syrup makes a delicious sparkling blueberry lemonade. Brittany also recommends whisking it with maple syrup to pour over pancakes as a decadent treat.
