DRINK CULTURE

Laura Unterberg is bar lead at The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club in East Nashville .

What was your first job in the beverage or hospitality industry ? A barista — early mornings and unlimited access to caffeine was a risky move as a teen .

What is your favorite spirit to work with at the moment ? I ’ ve put a lot of love into developing our Tennessee whiskey offerings — I think it is a fascinating category that doesn ’ t get nearly enough respect . Our current menu shows a lot of love to cocktails featuring brandies from across the Americas .

You like to incorporate hyper-local sourcing and fresh ingredients into drinks ; what are some of your recent creations ? A recent menu featured mezcal with late-winter persimmon , a fruit native to Middle Tennessee and different from Japanese persimmon , which didn ’ t arrive widely in the U . S . until the 1960s .

Foraging can be a great way to stay hyper-local with some rules . Be extremely confident and informed of what you ’ re harvesting , make sure to harvest ethically , leaving enough to re-seed the area for next year ’ s crop , and ask permission if you ’ re anywhere near private property .

You ’ ve created some interesting spirit-free drinks ; what is the key to making them taste good or seem more like the spirited cocktails ? I think the key is to not aim for them to taste like alcohol . It ’ s not alcohol so aim to create a delicious and surprising beverage that satisfies on its own without being a poor imitation of something else .

What ’ s your current go-to cocktail or beverage ? At home , it ’ s usually samples of products that I ’ m considering for the bar or just a simple vermouth and soda .

Would you share a favorite or popular cocktail recipe ? At The Fox we love to make classic Daiquiris for friends old and new . It ’ s light , refreshing and acidic , and sending out a round of minis is our favorite way to say hello !

DAIQUIRI

2 ¼ oz . Rum ( We blend our own with Appleton Reserve , Rhum Clement Blanc and El Dorado 5yr , which we then rest over pineapple skins for 24 hours ) ¾ oz . Rich simple syrup ( 1.5:1 ) ¾ oz . Lime juice 1 Lime peel swath ( shake with the peel in the shaker tin )

Combine ingredients in a shaker . Shake vigorously over ice . Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a chilled Nick & Nora glass .

JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in February partnered with Desert Door Texas Sotol on a common mission to preserve Texas bees . All of the resort ’ s restaurant and bar outlets serve a signature Paloma Preserve cocktail using Desert Door Texas Sotol ’ s Pollinator spirit , the third Texas Sotol variation in Desert Door ’ s Conservation Series .

Desert Door ’ s nonprofit foundation Wild Spirit Wild Places ( WSWP ) and spearheaded the planting of pollinator gardens across Central Texas as part of the release of Pollinator . Texas loses 40 % of its honeybee population every year , according to WSWP , from pesticides , drought , habitat destruction , disease and other causes .

Pollinator , a sotol spirit is made from the West Texas-grown evergreen sotol plant , is similar in profile to agave-based spirits , tequila and mezcal . Pollinator was created with mesquite , persimmon and honeysuckle , which are native plants that are pollinated by Texas bee species .

The JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country ’ s food and beverage team and culinary gardener maintain beehives on the property . The honey harvested at the resort was recently used to brew Hill Country Honey Blonde beer , in partnership with Freetail Brewing Co .

Both the Paloma Preserve , served in signature blue porcelain tumblers , and Hill Country Honey Blonde beer are part of the resort ’ s Conservation Series aimed at creating a positive impact in the local community .

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