El Gaucho Bellevue’s Medicinal Cocktails (L to R) Pain Killer, Remember Me and Gin Zing
Mixologists Put a Unique Twist on El Gaucho’s Inventive Cocktail Menu
BELLEVUE, Wash.—(August 30, 2010)— “To your health!” is a universal toast when raising a convivial glass, but El Gaucho Bellevue has gone one better: They’ve introduced cocktails designed both to be delicious and to do the body good, by bringing ancient herbal remedies into the mix.
Created by El Gaucho’s Lead Bartender Chris Leroy and the skilled mixology team, four new cocktails have been added to the swanky steakhouse’s innovative bar program. These will spotlight such mood-enhancing herbs as ginseng, ginkgo biloba, St. John’s Wort and skullcap.
“Bars everywhere have begun to feature ingredients such as housemade bitters, infused spirits and syrups, ginger brews and more to enhance flavor profiles. With all the stress that people deal with these days, I thought I would take the trend a step further and combine it with the healing properties of natural herbs and tinctures, which have been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years to great effect,” says Chris LeRoy.
New medicinal cocktails, all $14, include* (see note below):
Remember Me: Cachaça, honey syrup, lime, gingko biloba
This cocktail blends gingko biloba (thought to enhance memory and to alleviate altitude sickness and premenstrual symptoms) with cachaça (for energy), honey syrup (for healing and immunity as well as sweetness) and lime (a powerful antioxidant and scurvy cure).
Gin Zing: Boodles gin, triple sec, lemon, honey syrup, ginseng
Asian ginseng (Panax Ginseng) is considered to be an energizer for the entire body, partially attributable to the human shape of the ginseng root. In addition to being an energy tonic and physical and emotional stress reducer, it is used to treat everything from common colds to diabetes to erectile dysfunction.
Pain Killer: Hendrick’s gin, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, lemon, cucumber, St. John’s Wort
Popularly known as “nature’s Prozac,” St. John’s Wort (Hypericum Perforatum) has been used for millennia, most widely as a treatment for mild depression as it increases levels of serotonin in the brain.
Stress Reliever: Calvados, Luxardo maraschino liqueur, pear liqueur, lemon, ginger, medicinal blend
The medicinal blend contains 20 calming herbs, including skullcap, (Scutelleria Lateriflora) whose powerful sedative properties are used to treat a range of nervous conditions. Ginger calms the stomach and alleviates symptoms of the common cold.
Cocktails as medicine have a long history. Distilled spirits such as vodka and gin were considered to be “medicinal” when first introduced; hot toddies and the unlikely combination of whiskey, milk and butter are old remedies to soothe a sore throat; nineteenth-century New Orleans apothecary Antoine Peychaud mixed his curative bitters into brandy, which became the classic Sazerac.
Quips LeRoy, “Each cocktail contains half the recommended daily dose of the featured herb, so I suggest that guests take two and call me in the morning. And the next time your doctor asks if you drink alcohol, tell them ‘yes, but strictly for medicinal purposes.’”
*The Fine Print: Herb tinctures are pre-made by expert herbalists at Herb Pharma and are added to the cocktails by El Gaucho’s mixologists, who have carefully devised these recipes to contain ingredients well within accepted usage levels. However, people are reminded that some of these substances are considered powerful drugs in their own right that can also interfere with other medications.
El Gaucho® is the Northwest's steakhouse legacy focused on elegant, old school, tableside service for people celebrating their lives. The menu highlights 28-Day Dry-Aged Certified Angus Beef® Prime steaks, cutting-edge fresh seafood selections from sustainable sources, and extensive wine and single malt scotch lists. El Gaucho offers intimate private dining and nightly live music. El Gaucho Bellevue is located at the City Center Plaza at 450 108th Ave. N.E. For more information on the Bellevue location, please call (425) 455-2715 or visit www.elgaucho.com.
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