From the bar of ... Rachelle Chiarappa
About the bartender: She is a brand representative and mixologist for Dayton-based Buckeye Vodka, available in retail stores, bars and restaurants in Ohio.
Where she bartends: Latitude 41, The Renaissance Hotel, 50 N. Third St., Columbus
More info: www.latitude41restaurant.com; www.buckeyevodka.com
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Rachelle Chiarappa works as a bartender at Latitude 41 at the Renaissance Hotel in Columbus, but she’s done her fair share of drink mixing in the Miami Valley as the brand representative and mixologist for Buckeye Vodka.
Chiarappa, who is self-taught, represents the Buckeye Vodka brand at around 50 events each year and bartends as often as time will allow. We checked in with her to find out what inspires her concoctions.
Q. What has influenced your mixology the most?
A. My influence lies mostly in my passion for food and obsession with cooking. Having a precise palate really allows me to pinpoint flavors and create pairings in my mind of things that otherwise would sound odd together.
Q. What has been the highlight of your career to date?
A. Eric Sagun, the PR rep for Buckeye Vodka, came up with this ingenious idea to mimic some cocktails after iconic Ohio-based food chains such as White Castle (Columbus), Wendy's (Columbus), Skyline (Cincinnati) and Tony Packo's (Toledo). We did a Tony Packo's Martini that used sweet/hot Tony Packo pickle juice, dill simple syrup and Buckeye Vodka. For Wendy's and White Castle, I infused Buckeye Vodka with bacon, and served it in a tall glass with a seasoned tomato juice, smoked seal salt rim and all the fixings for a burger as a garnish. My favorite was my Buckeye 5-Way that is a play on the most popular item at Skyline. I used the spice blend from the chili and made a five-spice syrup sweetened with honey and molasses. Then we finished the drink with a dark rum and Buckeye Vodka.
Q. What are your favorite bartending gadgets?
A. A muddler and empty Buckeye Vodka bottles. A muddler is key to really bringing out the flavors in the herbs that we use in our cocktails, whether it be rosemary or fresh jalapeño slices. The empty BV bottles can be used after for my flavored syrups that I make or to hold the vodka that we are infusing with flavors. I do not believe in buying flavored vodkas because you are able to infuse your vodka however you wish by simply walking through your produce department. For example, people love citrus vodka. Instead of purchasing a bottle that you may not use all the way, simply take some peels of lemon, orange, grapefruit, and or limes, throw them in a Buckeye Vodka bottle, top with the amount of vodka you want to be infused, wait three days, and Voila! Citrus Vodka.
Q. Favorite shortcuts behind the bar?
A. Squeeze all your juices beforehand, have all your herbs in glassware ready and close at hand and, if you are having a large event or know you will be slammed, promote a single drink so you can batch a large amount and shake it over ice when you need it.
Q. What is your go-to cocktail?
A. The Black Eyed Sally. This is my go-to when entertaining. I have found that bourbon drinkers are hesitant to drink vodka, so this was a drink that incorporated the best of both and it is out of this world. Also, very easy to batch ahead of time.
Q. What are your favorite bar snacks?
A. I love bar snacks and appetizers, the problem is I will eat them until they are gone if they are sitting in front of me. Some of my favorites though are the Asian sesame mixes, wasabi almonds or housemade pita chips that are flavored with different spices and served alongside fresh goat cheese. It is nice to have a variety of textures and flavors. That way people can eat what compliments their drink.
Q. What bartending trends are happening right now?
A. People are really gravitating towards using local distilleries of any kind. It really is a wonderful thing because it keeps the money in the city you live in and you can experience the purveyors passion firsthand.
You are also seeing cocktails that incorporate both liquors and beers in one drink. I like the idea of this because most times, serious craft beer drinkers stick to beers and the same for people who favor cocktails. Seeing the two come together really is cool and requires quite a bit of skill to make it work as a drink. I find that the Midwest still loves their energy mixed drinks but I am also seeing a rebirth of the classic cocktails (Manhattan, Old Fashions, French Martinis, etc.) with modern spins on them.
Bottled juices are taking a backseat to seasonal juices which I think restaurants were hesitant to adopt at first because it used to always be about making sure that all ingredients for both food and drinks were readily at hand at all times. I think many are starting to jump on the bandwagon though because customers have become more open to changing menus and items, especially if it is based on seasonality of items.
Q. For those not familiar with the Buckeye Vodka brand, can you give us some background.
A. The vodka has gained popularity in most areas of the state. It has three major factors going for it: locally made product, less than $20 and quality that puts it on par with the major premium brands. We use corn to make our vodka, which also makes it gluten free. The water that the vodka is distilled with is from the Miami Valley through The Crystal Water Company. Our stills are set up in the warehouse next door.
Our vodka is distilled more than 10 times and each time it moves through the still, we taste test it and see if it needs to go through again. We do this until we believe it is perfect.
Buckeye Vodka was released to the public on April 1, 2011. It took two years to make our finished product and the processes that go into it.
Q. Any Buckeye Vodka news to report?
A. We just introduced our liter-sized bottle, which in Ohio, you are not allowed to have a liter until you sell a certain about of cases of the 750mL bottles. We just won a vodka tasting contest in San Francisco and also won a best value award because, unlike most premium vodkas, we are just shy of $20.
Buckeye Vodka is the only vodka that uses completely pure, distilled water to make its product with. It really is amazing if you think about it. Since it is made with corn, when you drink it you get slightly sweeter notes, followed by a spiciness that leaves you wanting more. I have always loved vodka, and Buckeye Vodka gives all companies a run for their money.
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