Savory cocktails are not exactly new, but they’ve certainly grown more creative—and more popular—in recent years. “The Dirty Martini and the Gibson are great examples of savory cocktails that have always been around,” says Corey Tighe, bar manager at Quaintrelle in Portland, Oregon. He adds that in 2007 when Don Lee at the famed New York City speakeasy PDT created the Benton’s Old Fashioned, featuring bacon fat-washed Bourbon, the fat-washing technique took off and spurred the creation of more savory cocktails. “That’s when the bacon fat-washed Bloody Mary train began, and now every menu has at least one savory drink,” he says. “To me it seems like bartenders got bored of only using fruits, and savory ingredients opened more avenues for creativity.”

Valerie Diehl, bartender and cocktail creator at Wildweed in Cincinnati, believes that the growth of more savory flavors in today’s cocktails can be attributed to consumers becoming more comfortable trying something outside the ordinary when they go out to drink. “As creative and adventurous cocktails experience another wave of popularity, there’s been much more trust in the bartender to guide the guest to something a little less familiar,” she says. “When I started bartending 13 years ago, people were more likely to go out to drink the same things they could drink at home, now they go out to experience something new.”

Indeed, consumers are more adventurous in their food and beverage choices than ever before, notes Max Green, master bartender at The Bronze Owl in New York City. “Palates and curiosity have evolved over time, allowing bartenders to get more creative and to try more experimental flavor combinations that may have previously been viewed as ‘outlandish’ or ‘peculiar,’” he says. “A savory drink is one of the categories that always needs to be present on any menu I develop to provide balance to our list and offer something unique for a curious drinker.”

At the Chicago restaurant and craft cocktail bar Daisies, the beverage program is produce-heavy, so savory flavors have always been highlighted in the seven years the venue has been open. “With the nature of our program, savory ingredients are used frequently and without hesitation, with our guests eager to try something new or a spin on something familiar,” says bar director Nicole Yarovinsky. “From briny to spicy to sweet and salty to umami, these drinks open up a lot of fun inspiration and a whole world of ingredients.”

Spirit Guide

Yarovinsky adds that she typically reaches for herb- and spice-forward spirits when making savory cocktails. “Almost like using a hearty stock as a sauce base instead of water, so things like aquavit, most additive-free agave-based spirits, rye whiskey, and single malts—and sometimes, if not frequently, a combination of a few of these.” Her Beet Manhattan ($15) features equal parts Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Sazerac rye, and Norden Dill aquavit, plus Cappelletti Pasubio vino amaro and house-made beet reduction syrup.

It certainly makes sense when making a cocktail with a specific flavor profile to start with the spirit itself. “I tend toward spirits that already have a savory or botanical backbone, such as gin and agave spirits,” Green notes. “Their flavor profiles allow me to add intensity and amplification rather than having to go out of my way to modify them. The juniper, coriander, angelica root, and citrus peel in gin, for example, help echo the savory items you might add to a drink, whereas agave spirits naturally have earthy, peppery, and smoky profiles that round out a cocktail.” His Fire From Olympus ($19) comprises Sipsmith gin, Suze gentian liqueur, Pernod absinthe, lime and cucumber juices, rich simple syrup, Boy Drinks World Serrano cocktail spice, and soda water, while his COA Strike ($19) blends Espolòn Reposado Tequila, Montelobos mezcal, Cynar amaro, Cinzano 1757 Vermouth di Torino Rosso, and Bittermens Xocolatl mole bitters. “I also love anisette of any style, with its fennel and licorice flavors,” he adds. “Baking spices and chiles are another great place to start, and right now there’s a wide variety of spirits and liqueurs made with them. Ancho Reyes, allspice dram, and orchard fruit liqueurs like St. George Spiced Pear are all great options to build your savory cocktails around.”

Ricky Ramirez, owner of Milwaukee cocktail bar The Mothership, notes a definite increase in calls for savory drinks at the bar, which he has seen coincide with the rising popularity of agave spirits. “I think with the big shift in popularity from American whiskey to now agave spirits, the typical bartender is creating drinks that draw flavors from the spirit, which can be sweet and salty or just full-on funky.” His Dark Sunrise ($12) mixes Libélula Reposado Tequila, Gamle Ode Celebration aquavit, St. George Green Chile vodka, lime juice, house-made plum and passion fruit syrups, and a dash of Tapatío hot sauce, topped with guajillo chile powder.

“An herbaceous gin, smoky mezcal, spicy rye whiskey, or even a grassy rhum agricole are great foundations to start with,” Wildweed’s Diehl notes. Her Shishito Margarita ($15) features shishito pepper-infused Banhez Ensamble mezcal plus a house-made mixture of peach syrup and tomato, peach, shishito, and lime juices, while her Green Tomato Daiquiri ($14) mixes Rhum J.M rhum agricole, house-made green tomato water, house-made shisho and coconut syrup, and lime juice, topped with house-made perilla seed oil. “I gravitate toward a lot of herbs and oils in savory cocktails, and in line with our venue’s philosophy, I tend to start with what’s in season in Ohio, and branch off from there,” Diehl adds.

Drink Your Veggies

At The Sun Room in Nashville, Tennessee, food and beverage director Alexis Soler’s Time Limit ($15) is an herb-forward Martini comprising Fords gin and tarragon- and dill-infused Dolin Dry vermouth, topped with parsley-infused olive oil. “With savory cocktails I really enjoy working with textures through infusions,” Soler says. “I’ve also always loved working with vegetables; they have unique flavors and textures. Introducing them into drinks can be challenging because they contain sugar but not in the way fruit does and can also be very dry or astringent so making those adjustments is a tricky and fun puzzle to solve.” Her Sorrento ($15) blends ají amarillo pepper-infused Aperol aperitif, carrot, orange, and lemon juices, and Cantina Colli Euganei Extra Dry Prosecco.

Similarly featuring carrot juice and spicy elements, the Tipsy Carrot ($16.50) at Bésame in Steamboat Springs, Colorado mixes Suerte Blanco Tequila, fresh-pressed carrot juice, house-made Fresno chile syrup, and Fee Brothers Habanero bitters, topped with fresh cilantro. “This is by far the most popular savory cocktail we have at Bésame—our clients love the blend of spicy, herbal, and vegetal flavors,” says Hannah Hopkins, who created the drink and owns Bésame as well as its sibling restaurants Yampa Valley Kitchen and Mambo’s Italiano. “We incorporate vinegars, herbal salts like lemon verbena, vegetables like beets and carrots, and fresh-pressed vegetable juices into our savory cocktails.” At Yampa Valley Kitchen, cocktail curator Rena Day’s Matcha Mint G&T ($15) features Deviation Mountain Herb gin, house-made mint syrup, lime juice, unsweetened matcha powder, fresh-pressed green juice comprising kale, cucumber, romaine, and celery, and Cock ’n Bull India tonic water. “Over the last few years, customers are preferring drinks that have less sugar and are less fruity—they’re looking for those umami notes,” Hopkins adds. “Sweet drinks are out and drinks with rich flavors, spices, salt, and sour elements are in.”

At Quaintrelle, Tighe’s Peas. Don’t. Tell. ($20) is a more savory take on the Pisco Sour, blending Capurro Acholado pisco, Salers gentian aperitif, Dolin Génépy le Chamois liqueur, Chareau aloe liqueur, house-made charred snap pea syrup, lemon and lime juices, and Fee Brothers Fee foam, while his A 1942 Black Tie Affair ($40; $55 to add a caviar garnish) is a Margarita twist featuring Don Julio 1942 Añejo Tequila, Combier orange liqueur, house-made saffron and black pepper tincture, lime juice, agave syrup, and a pinch of salt. “I really enjoy opening peoples’ minds up to what can go into a cocktail—my favorite feedback is ‘I wouldn’t have thought that could be an ingredient,’” Tighe says. “My style is focused on seasonal produce—our executive chef, Elijah Rivers, and I walk the Portland Farmers Market every Saturday morning to see what’s coming into season and what’s on the way out. I enjoy working very closely with our kitchen; we strongly believe in the cross utilization of products.”

Especially as bar programs look to minimize their waste, sharing ingredients with the kitchen has become commonplace and creative bartenders are also adopting culinary techniques in their cocktail development. “At Daisies, sustainability and hyper-seasonality, hence preservation, are the name of the game,” Yarovinsky says. “Lacto-fermentation is an easy go-to for us, as well as dehydration and reduction for flavor concentration, charring, roasting, use of vinegars, fat-washing, post-pasteurization clarification—the list of techniques we use in our savory beverages goes on.” Her Sunroom Gimlet ($16) mixes equal parts carrot-washed Hendrick’s Grand Cabaret gin and Mulassano Extra Dry vermouth, plus Wolffer Estate Blanc Verjus, Averna amaro, Empirical The Plum, I Suppose spirit, house-made poppy seed syrup, and house-made lime vinegar, while the Mushroom Margarita ($15)—originally created by former bar director and assistant general manager Kevin Murphy and updated by Yarovinsky—comprises mushroom-infused Corazon Blanco Tequila, Amaro Cinpatrazzo, Strega herbal liqueur, lime citrate, and house-made mushroom syrup that’s crafted with lacto-fermented mushroom brine, plus bay leaf, thyme, allspice, clove, black pepper, star anise, and demerara sugar. Similarly utilizing mushrooms, Diehl’s Wildest Moments ($13) at Wildweed features Norden aquavit, porcini mushroom-infused Lustau Fino Sherry, Keepwell Vinegar Black Walnut Bay Sauce and Sweet Cherry

Culinary Cues

Marshall Minaya, partner and beverage director of Lolita and Madame George in New York City, notes that the first savory cocktail he loved was the Daiquiri Al Pastor at Leyenda in Brooklyn, New York. The drink was inspired by al pastor tacos, with flavors to match. At Lolita, there’s a section of the cocktail menu dedicated to savory drinks, all of which are either inspired by specific culinary dishes or feature unexpected food elements. “We lean into savory cocktail components, utilizing things like clarified vegetable waters and infusions,” Minaya says. For instance, his Pico De Gallo Martini ($20) comprises candelilla wax-washed Abrojo Green Label gin, Lustau Manzanilla Sherry, Routin dry vermouth, and house-made pico de gallo water, which is a clarified blend of all of the ingredients in pico de gallo, while lead bartender Carlos Kennedy-Lopez’s Las Mineras ($19) mixes maiz-infused Banhez Ensamble mezcal, sofrito-infused Tio Pepe Fino Sherry, Nixta Licor de Elote corn liqueur, Angostura bitters, and house-made enchilada water, which features spices that would be used in the Mexican dish. In addition, Minaya and Kennedy-Lopez’s Umami Bay ($19) blends oyster shell-infused Pueblo Viejo Reposado Tequila, Fundy gin, acid-adjusted orange juice, house-made mole syrup, house-made avocado pit orgeat, and Ms. Betters Miraculous Foamer, topped with plum-soaked sesame seeds. “I like the challenge of savory cocktails the most,” Minaya adds. “Making a cocktail that’s balanced and textured and not one-noted is a fun challenge, especially when working with ingredients that are more savory and have higher salinity.”

At LilliStar in Brooklyn, New York, beverage director Christine Wiseman offers several food-inspired cocktails, including her Hot Doggin It ($18), mixing Del Maguey Vida mezcal, Lustau Vermut Blanco, house-made tomato water, house-made dijon mustard agave syrup, and Banyuls vinegar, and her Elote Twisted Tea ($19), blending cotija cheese-infused Abasolo Mexican whiskey, Nixta Licor de Elote, black tea concentrate, and house-made lemon oleo saccharum. “Our customers are adventurous drinkers, so there doesn’t seem to be any cocktail they won’t try,” she notes. “I think the line between food and drink will continue to blur, drawing inspiration from culinary techniques and dishes, and creating more experiences based on local farms.”

The Mothership’s Ramirez notes that with all the techniques on display in the bartending world today, nothing is off-limits when it comes to savory cocktail creation. “Imagine infusing a sweeter spirit with umami from mushrooms or taking a spirit-driven cocktail like a Martini and diluting it with tomato water—there are endless opportunities to push a cocktail’s boundaries one more level,” he says. “Our Coconut Curry Painkiller, for example, features blended Scotch and rum that are fat-washed with coconut curry.” The drink ($14), which Ramirez created, features a coconut curry-washed mix of Kasama rum and Monkey Shoulder blended Scotch, plus Fruitful Papaya liqueur, house-made turmeric coconut cream, acid-adjusted orange juice, and Bittermens Buckspice Ginger bitters.

“I will spend hours in a grocery store or drive across town to look for a new ingredient or something that will inspire me, and I often think of food,” Ramirez notes. “One of my bartenders and I were really into this carne asada tostada at a local Mexican restaurant, and I wondered how I would make a carne asada into a cocktail. I thought of the ingredients you would typically find in the marinade and turned it into a cordial. For the meatiness, I went straight to sotol and raicilla to impart the smoke and almost chewiness of each spirit and blended them with a funky Oaxacan rum for a touch of earthy sweetness.” The end result is his Go-Go Gadget Latin Drink ($14), comprising Puntagave Maximiliana raicilla, Los Magos sotol, Paranubes Blanco rum, house-made asada cordial, The Bitter Truth Cucumber bitters, and Mr. Q. Cumber sparkling cucumber beverage. “Wisconsin is big time Bloody Mary country, but I love having a lineup of different savory drinks at our bar,” he adds. “I enjoy the creativity it takes and having people get turned on to new spirits.”