Every cocktail drinker can recall the first time they tasted an alcoholic beverage. Often, it’s a stolen sip from an older relative’s drink. Tiffanie Barriere is no different. She was around 9 years old when she first tasted booze.
“I grew up in a drinking household,” the 40-year-old Cabbagetown resident said. “I was told from a very young age to ‘go fix me a drink.’ I remember making my mother a drink. She’s a Crown Royal drinker to this day. I decided to take a sip. I’ll never forget that warm feeling. I thought, man, that burns. But it didn’t burn-burn. It just felt very warm. I loved it.”
Today Barriere is one of the most accomplished mixologists in the country. She started out with bartending stints at Applebee’s and LongHorn Steakhouse. Then she landed a job at One Flew South, Todd Richards’ fine-dining restaurant at the Atlanta airport. Working with chef Duane Nutter and beverage director Jerry Slater, Barriere honed her talent for creating show-stopping cocktails.
When Slater left, Barriere took over as beverage director, a position she held for seven years. During that time, the restaurant’s bar received national accolades and was named one of the best airport bars in the country by Thrillist, Fodor’s Travel and Business Insider. In an article for Garden & Gun, former AJC food critic John Kessler, called it “one of the best bars in Atlanta, if not the entire country.”
Calling herself “The Drinking Coach,” Barriere is now an independent mixologist who hosts bartending classes, consults with restaurants on their beverage programs and creates cocktail menus for pop-up dining events. Earlier this year she was inducted into the Dame Hall of Fame by Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, an international nonprofit organization that promotes and supports cocktail culture.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
When it comes to creating a new cocktail, Barriere said she starts by combining something sweet and something sour.
“That’s my base,” she said. “I love to dilute sweet and sour together with water or ice. Then I go, ‘Now what alcohol?’”
But she also considers the season.
“I’m a supernatural girl. I love the moon. I meditate. So, I go with the moon, the season, the date, the hour,” she said. “I’ll ask myself, ‘What makes sense this week?’”
Keeping in mind that holiday festivities may be low-key and mostly homebound this year due to the pandemic, the AJC asked Barriere to create some seasonal cocktails that could be prepared at home with ease. She delivered two very different, very versatile drinks that are sure to spread some cheer.
“I created two cocktails and two mixers,” said Barriere. “The mixers are neutral to all spirits and will rock any holiday/winter cocktail. They are easy to make, affordable ingredients and easy to store.”
The Mistletoe Spritz can be made with any clear spirit, such as vodka, white rum or tequila, but Barriere prefers it with gin. The mixers include orange juice and a cranberry-rosemary shrub, a traditional component made with equal parts sugar and vinegar that dates back to Colonial times. “It’s a joyride of flavor profiles,” said Barriere. “It makes your cocktail fun. You don’t need much, and vinegar is good for you.”
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
She described the Mistletoe Spritz as “tart and alluring. It’s bright red. It’s sparkling. It’s a light, delicate flavor-party. It’s crisp and clean like a palate cleanser.” She recommends serving it at the start of the evening.
The Gingerbread Old Fashioned features a gingerbread syrup made with molasses and can be mixed with any brown spirit, such as whiskey, aged rum or aged tequila.
“The gingerbread syrup takes the nostalgia of childhood and puts it in a cocktail,” said Barriere. “It’s a sipper.” She recommends accompanying it with something meaty such as charcuterie or barbecue.
We can all agree that the lack of holiday festivities is a big bummer this year, but that just means we have to make our own fun. So put on your Santa sweater, turn on some Christmas music and whip up a tasty cocktail or two. It’s on you to make your holiday merry. Cheers!
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Gingerbread Old Fashioned
1 ounce gingerbread syrup (see recipe)
6 dashes Angostura bitters
2 ½ ounces any brown spirit (whiskey, aged rum, aged tequila)
In a rocks glass add gingerbread syrup, bitters and your favorite brown spirit. Add ice. Stir for 60 seconds, allowing ice to melt, dilute and chill the cocktail. Garnish with an apple slice dusted with a pinch of cinnamon.
Nutritional information
Per serving: 293 calories (percent of calories from fat, 0), trace protein, 16 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 4 milligrams sodium.
Gingerbread Syrup
½ tablespoon fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1 liter water
2 cups sugar
2 cups molasses
Bring all ingredients to a simmer in a saucepan. When ingredients start to thicken, remove from the heat and let cool. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Nutritional information
Per 1-ounce serving: 58 calories (percent of calories from fat, 0), trace protein, 14 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium.
Mistletoe Spritz
1 ounce cranberry-rosemary shrub (see recipe)
1 ounce fresh orange juice
2 ounces any clear spirit (vodka, gin, white rum, blanco tequila)
Sparkling wine
In a red wine glass or goblet add cranberry-rosemary shrub, orange juice and your favorite clear spirit. Pack with ice and fill with sparkling wine. Garnish with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprig.
Nutritional information
Per serving: 233 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), trace protein, 25 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 4 milligrams sodium.
Cranberry-Rosemary Shrub
1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup whole fresh cranberry
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Bring all ingredients to a simmer until cranberries start to pop. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain out cranberry and rosemary with a fine strainer and store in a glass jar. Keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Nutritional information
Per 1-ounce serving: 54 calories (percent of calories from fat, 0), trace protein, 14 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, trace sodium.
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