| MEET THE MIXOLOGIST |

Meet The Mixologist :

Luis Betancur is beverage director at Boston-based Tuscan Brands , which includes seven restaurant concepts and two retail markets . A sommelier and a Chilean native who immigrated to the U . S . at age 27 , Betancur also teaches mixology and wine classes at La Scuola , the Williams Sonoma and Tuscan Market cooking school in Salem , NH .

What was your first job in the beverage or hospitality industry ? My first job in the industry was as a busboy in a French restaurant by the South End of Boston . Great wine and , of course , profiteroles .

What is your favorite spirit to work with at the moment ? Rum currently because of the Tiki moment and the summer . It ’ s super easy to hide and to enjoy in many classic cocktails .

Tuscan Brands includes seven restaurant concepts and two retail markets ; how does the beverage program reflect the concept ’ s Italian culture ? By pushing the boundaries ! We make everything from scratch , including many fun syrups , leveraging everything out of the fruit and herbs — peel , juice and pulp . We create cocktails with many dimensions while using Italian liqueur and Amari .

What cocktails , wines and beer are Tuscan Brands guests interested in these days ? The Dirty Martini is a classic ; also the Espresso Martini and fun , flavorful spicy Margaritas . Our trending wines include coastal wines like vermentino , vernacchia and falanghina , and some obscure wines like Etna bianco from the majestic Etna Volcano . The beer trend is changing ; still some interest in IPAs , but now we can see more light and crisp refreshing pale ales and nonalcoholic beers like Athletic from Colorado .

As a native of Chile , are you a fan of the Pisco Sour ? I drank so much pisco … so much . I love a classic sour , but my favorites are the Passion Fruit and the Mango Sour . In Chile you can find so many fruits like cherimoya or custard apple . A little different than the internet will show you , custard apples are a creamy , sweet-granny apple with a touch of lemon — to die for .

What ’ s your current go-to cocktail or beverage ? A White Negroni or many summer variations of the Negroni . Also Spritzers ; they are so versatile and you can create so many different flavors and styles . It is a category of its own nowadays .

Would you share one of the most popular at Tuscan Brands , or one of your favorite drink recipes ? This is a difficult one , we have so many popular cocktails from our talented bartenders , but here is the recipe for Makin Me Coconuts .

MAKIN ME COCONUTS

1 ½ oz . Coconut rum ½ oz . Blueberry vodka ½ oz . Freshsqueezed lime juice Blueberry basil puree Seltzer water

All ingredients into a shaker and shake for 10 seconds . Pour over fresh ice into rocks glass . Garnish with blueberry-lime flag .

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