MM_021617

30 | February 16, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger DINING OUT
mokenamessenger.com
The Dish
Bonefish fashions four-flavor drink in pomegranate and sage martini
Bill Jones, Managing Editor
When it comes to flavor
profiles, drinks usually lean
toward sweet, sour, bitter or,
on rare occasions, savory.
But instead of committing
to just one, the latest
cocktail at Bonefish Grill
in Orland Park tries to capture
all four in one blend for
something that also plays to
the hopefully soon-to-come
spring season by being
“light and refreshing,” according
to managing partner
Nicholas Kapellas.
The pomegranate and
sage martini ($9.10) — unlike
some of the restaurant’s
seasonal repeats, a
completely new offering
— combines Reyka smallbatch
vodka, fresh sage simple
syrup, POM Wonderful
100 percent pomegranate
juice, Cointreau, freshlysqueezed
lemon juice and
Angostura bitters, as far as
the franchise-wide recipe
goes, though Orland Park in
particular makes use of Art
in the Age’s Sage liqueur.
“The pomegranate juice
is a hot thing right now,
with all of the antioxidants
in it,” Kapellas explained.
“We try to use the freshest
products.”
The cocktail also may
use the optional addition
of pasteurized egg whites,
which are designed to act
as a flavor enhancer, bringing
the pomegranate to the
forefront and balancing the
complexity of the flavors in
the mix.
“It also adds that frothy
top to it,” Kapellas said.
The finished mix is topped
with a sage leaf not only for
the sake of presentation, but
also to add to the aroma of
the cocktail.
The pomegranate and
lemon hit the sour taste
buds, while the orange liqueur
and syrup strike the
sweet ones. The sage offers
the savory element, while
the bitters live up to their
namesake.
While the pomegranate
and sage martini offers diners
something undoubtedly
new, it was inspired, in part,
by the great success of the
restaurant’s long-standing
Bonefish Pomegranate Martini,
a house-made infusion
with Fris vodka, pomegranate
and fresh mango.
“That’s a huge hit, but we
wanted to take a little swing
on it,” Kapellas said. “Sage
is a great fresh ingredient
that has a lot of flavor.”
The timing could not be
better, either, for of-age
guests looking to give it a
try. The cocktail is already
on the menu and plans to be
around until May 1. Before
then, however, Bonefish is
running a “Martini Mondays”
promotion through
March 20, so diners looking
to try the latest offering
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The pomegranate and sage martini ($9.10) at Bonefish Grill
in Orland Park features Reyka small-batch vodka, a hint
of sage, pure pomegranate juice and lemon juice, finished
with a fresh sage leaf. Bill Jones/22nd Century Media
on the cheap can get it for
$5 instead of the regular
price by visiting on a Monday.
Best paired with ...
While diners typically
think food, then what
matches it well for a drink,
it is not out of bounds to
handle that choice in the
other direction.
For anyone just dying
to try the new pomegranate
and sage martini, and
then wondering what best
pairs with the drink, Kapellas
recommends Bonefish’s
most-prized appetizer, the
Bang Bang Shrimp.
That said, with the complexity
of the drink itself,
diners looking for something
new to accompany
it are free to let their eyes
wander across the menu.
Prefer bubbles?
For those with a preference
for things like Bellinis,
mimosas or blackberry sangria,
Sunday would be the
day of choice at Bonefish
Grill.
Among the restaurant’s
offerings from 10 a.m.-2
Bonefish Grill
15537 S. LaGrange
Road in Orland Park
Hours
• 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Monday-Thursday
• 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday
• 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday
For more information ...
Web: www.bonefishgrill.
com/locations/il/orlandpark
Phone: (708) 873-5170
p.m. on a special brunch
menu is the “Endless Bubbles
Brunch” ($19.90),
which gives the diner his or
her choice of eggs Benedict,
Brunch Favorite or omelet,
as well as an endless supply
of one of the three aforementioned
drinks.
“Brunch is one people
don’t realize we have,” Kapellas
said.
Endless Bubbles also are
available for $6 by the glass
or $12 with any entrée.
Readers are reminded to
brunch responsibly.
Hurry, before it’s gone!
Modern Pomegranate Martini Recipe
Bonefish Grill shares the secrets to making a martini
similar to its recent addition, the pomegranate and
sage martini.
Ingredients
• 1.5 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce sage simple
syrup
• 1 ounce POM
Wonderful 100 percent
pomegranate juice
• .25 ounces Cointreau
or similar orange-flavored
liqueur
• 1 ounce freshly
squeezed lemon juice
• 2 dashes Angostura
bitters
• .5 ounces pasteurized
egg whites (optional)
Method
• Pack a pint glass or a
martini shaker with ice.
• Combine all ingredients
in a shaker tin and shake
until icy cold.
• Strain into a frozen
martini glass.
• Garnish with fresh sage
leaf for garnish.
Making a fresh sage simple
Syrup
Bring 6 cups of water
to a rolling boil. Add 4
cups of sugar in the raw
(for richer texture) or
superfine sugar and stir
until sugar is dissolved.
Add 10-15 fresh sage
leaves and let boil for
two minutes. Turn off
heat and let cool. Cover
and refrigerate for 24-48
hours.
Note: The sage needs
On Bonefish Grill’s special
menu — but only until
it changes again Feb. 28
— is a black cod with miso
($24.90) entrée, featuring
what Kapellas calls a “melt
time to infuse throughout
the simple syrup, so the
longer you infuse, the
brighter your flavor will be.
Helpful hints
• The orange liqueur
(Cointreau or similar)
is going to add a bit of
balance to the martini
but not a ton of flavor,
so tweak the flavor of
cordial that you use to
best accommodate the
flavors that you love. For a
richer flavor, use a liqueur
like Grand Marnier. For a
sweeter orange flavor, use
Cointreau. For something
different, try Solerno
blood orange liqueur.
• For an alternate to
orange liqueur, use
St.-Germain elderflower
liqueur or Domaine de
Canton ginger liqueur.
• Without the egg
whites, pull back slightly
on the pomegranate
juice, depending upon
sweetness desired.
• Do not forget the
bitters. It’s a key element
to the perfect balance in
this martini.
• For perfect aromatics,
clap the fresh sage
between your hands
before garnishing the
martini. This will release
the oils and bring the
aroma to the forefront.
in your mouth” fish featuring
a house-made misoyaki
sauce, served with fingerling
potatoes, fresh baby
bok choy and pickled ginger.