The Foundry’s Bar Director Chelsea Solkowski.
The Foundry
400 Columbus Blvd.
One State Street Building, Floor 20
Hartford, CT
Located on the 20th floor of One State Street in Hartford, The Foundry offers an upscale dining experience with panoramic views of the Connecticut River and city landmarks. Led by chef and restaurateur Jeffrey Lizotte, owner of award-winning Present Company in Tariffville, the venue specializes in quite literally elevated, contemporary American cuisine set among an airy, wood-steel-and-windowed world overlooking downtown. Executive Chef Jesse Powers and his team create dishes using sustainable New England ingredients from a bustling open-air kitchen. For drinks, guests can choose from an array of boutique, high-end wines and a seasonal cocktail list featuring both traditional and nonalcoholic craft cocktails, all to enjoy among the skyscaped perch.
Bar Director: Chelsea Solkowski
Cocktail: Herbarium
Ingredients:
- 1 oz. Empirical Cilantro
- 1 oz. blanco tequila
- 0.5 oz. sumac- and lemon peel-infused agave nectar*
- 0.25 oz. Alma Tepec Oaxacan chili liqueur
- 1 dash Fee Brothers celery bitters
- 0.75 oz. lime juice
The Herbarium cocktail. Photos courtesy of The Foundry.
Method: Combine all ingredients in a shaker over ice. Shake and strain over fresh ice. Pour into a prepared double old-fashioned glass half-dusted with a sumac-salt rim, using a 2-to-1 ratio of sumac and salt.
*To make sumac- and lemon peel-infused agave nectar: Add 800 g agave, 200 g hot water, 50 g lemon peels (roughly 5 lemons), and 10 g sumac powder to a sous vide bag. Cook at 135 degrees Fahrenheit for 120 minutes. Strain with cheesecloth to eliminate solids and chill.
The bar’s offerings highlight the cuisine, equally crafted with the same level of intention and innovation. “This seasonal original cocktail is salty, lemony, spicy and super herbal. One time on vacation I had a fattoush salad and said, ‘I want to turn this into a cocktail’ … and here we are! A cup of Fattoush,” said Bar Director Chelsea Solkowski. “It pulls you in with a familiar base spirit (blanco tequila), and keeps you interested with a unique spirit by Empirical (this specific rendition highlights cilantro). This botanical beverage sips citrusy, salty and ever so slightly spicy.”
