Photograph by Kevin A. Roberts
Give him your favorite flavors, and he’ll whip up a cocktail you won’t soon forget. Want to know the trendiest beer in your taste profile? He knows that, too. Having trouble choosing a wine? Chad Michael George is also a certified specialist of wine, winespeak for sommelier. No wonder he’s a sought-after consultant and drinking partner. SLM tracked down the beverage virtuoso as he was tweaking details at DeMun Oyster Bar (slated to open in late December), the area’s newest small niche restaurant, where pairing food to different beverages—not just wine—is a prime directive. We trust you’re ahead of us here… Yes, he’s good at that, too.
First off, what’s with the 3 names? You going Hollywood on us?
When I started my new venture, Proof Academy, it just stuck and I’m not sure why.
What is Proof Academy?
Most local wine and beverage classes are geared to those in the trade. Proof is a group of beverage professionals who will bring that knowledge to ordinary people in a series of clinics beginning in February. [proofacademy.com]
What’s the story on Drink Lab, one of its offshoots?
It’s a craft cocktail party held on Monday nights once a month, at different bars and restaurants that fit that a theme.
The idea was to hold the first ones at Atomic Cowboy, build up a clientele, then take it on the road, picking up more customers as we do so.
Eighty people attended the last one, at the Scottish Arms, where we featured a riff on a Rusty Nail--Hendrick’s gin combined with Drambuie and a really smoky scotch--which sounds terrible, but was, in fact, delicious. We converted quite a few people to craft cocktails with that drink, which was exactly our intention.
The number of local mixologists, not bartenders, seems to be growing exponentially.
A group of 7 of us took and passed the Bar Smarts exam in Chicago, a spirits and mixology clinic put on by the BAR [Beverage Alcohol Resource], a group of guys who are considered the godfathers of cocktails. And every one of us passed. That impressed them.
Young people drink beer, older people drink wine, everybody will drink a cocktail. Accurate?
It used to be that all beer was cheaper to drink than wine; now, some beers are good but inexpensive, and some are $22 a six-pack. On the flip side, there’s the class thing…older people don’t see beer as being a classy product. Younger people—and me--would dispute that statement.
What facet of beverages is growing the fastest in St. Louis?
The beer segment has gone wild. Oddly, supply came before the demand, so by the time people finally got into it, the new local brewpubs had ironed out the kinks. By then, they were all putting out great beers.
Several brewpubs are slated to open this year as well…
And the psychology of “let’s support the local guy” continues to grow, and with A-B losing that edge, it’s now much more socially acceptable to support small brewers.
When do think it will peak or even level off?
The beverage stores will tell you they’re all out of shelf space…they’re ready for it to level off now.
What is your favorite beer?
Bell’s Two Hearted ale. I was surprised to find out that it’s a lot of people’s favorite beer—it continues to win awards everywhere.
Your favorite wine?
Hard to pin one down. The Syrah grape for sure…I’ve always loved Rhone wines. You get all the glory of Cabernet without all the overwrought California wine making. And versatile… No matter what style the winemakers make, I love it.
Your favorite winery?
Alban in the Edna Valley. Most people think I’d favor an old world place, but Alban has good juice, all the time.
But hasn’t the number of spirits increased dramatically as well?
In the last five years the number of craft distillers in this country has doubled. Several local ones have sprung up as well. Square One just started making whisky…and its good.
Has flavored vodka tipped over? Tell me it has.
It has, but they may keep coming just to regain lost market share. Five years ago, 200 of the top cocktails used flavored vodka; this year, 11 do. Yet a quality company like Charbay, who uses macerated fruit during distillation, has to battle against companies that make flavors like Bubble Gum and Cotton Candy.
Do you drink any flavored vodkas?
The only one I’ve ever owned is Hangar One Kaffir Lime, and I drink it on the rocks, with a lime wedge. The lime is clean and real, not sweet and phony.
What else keeps you busy?
I write a monthly column on wines, spirits, and restaurants for Woods and Irons, a publication found in 250 regional PGA golf clubs. I’m also the brand ambassador for the Greenbar Collective, an organic spirits company, that uses only organic wheat as the base for its Tru brand gins and vodkas.
Their tagline is “better spirits for a better planet.”
No argument with that philosophy…
They are the most carbon negative beverage company in the country: they plant a tree in the Central American rain forest for every bottle sold. That’s 100,000 trees in 2 ½ half years. They use soy ink, recycled glass, and yet keep the price to under $30 a bottle. And it’s really good stuff. The vanilla vodka is absolutely the best; the lemon vodkas we tasted had a medicinal taste that the Tru doesn’t have.
What’s one thing you’ve learned that’s really stuck in your head?
Just a reinforcement to start out small. Common knowledge says to make bars bigger because that’s how you make money, but bars don’t have to be big to make money. Open that first place, build a reputation, and people will be throwing money at you when it’s time to do the next one.
Do you favor one beverage over another?
Not really. I think people should drink beer at beer-focused places, wine at wine bars, and mixed drinks at craft cocktail bars. Appreciate each place for what it stands for.
Going with the flow can be enlightening.
I must say I now appreciate cocktails more from being on the business side of the bar. Making a cocktail is much more personal than opening a beer--no matter how esoteric--or pouring a glass of wine--no matter how much I can tell you about it. I didn’t make that wine.
There’s just more interaction…
Right. A good mixologist can ask what you traditionally drink, the flavors you like, and then come up with something new that, if they’re on their game, you won’t soon forget.
I’ve seen mixologists who taste every drink, like a good chef tastes a sauce before it goes out. Common practice?
They use a cocktail straw, but that’s mostly for “off the cuff” drinks. It is fun and reassuring, though, seeing that “I nailed it” look on their face.
Cutting edge mixologists use different ice, from crushed to a single, baseball-size cube. Is someone perhaps overthinking this?
No. Some drinks, like swizzles and tiki cocktails, benefit from melting ice, and some, like good scotches and bourbons—the ones often consumed neat—are best enjoyed with minimal dilution.
What’s your favorite spirit?
I love rye whiskey but probably drink more gin-based cocktails. I love Hendrick’s, and Beefeater; if I’m drinking a gin and tonic, it’s probably Tanqueray; and Hendrick’s. Recently, we did a tasting with Simon Ford, a cocktail celebrity and brand rep for Beefeater. Tasting gins blind really opens your eyes. With all those different taste profiles, every gin now has a different role for me. Hendrick’s stood out because of the added cucumber and rose.
What’s your favorite mixed cocktail?
I’m obsessed with the Negroni. There’s an expensive sweet vermouth I get from out of state that I use only when making them.
Negroni Recipe (courtesy of Chad Michael George):
1 oz + a splash Plymouth Gin (yes, that extra splash is important)
1 oz Campari
1 oz Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth (available online at napacabs.com).*
Stir over ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of orange.
*The best back-up brand: Dolin Rouge (this one is available at local wine stores), but Antica is worth the splurge.
I know blind tasting a cocktail or spirit can sway people away from their so-called favorite.
Rarely can people pick their favorite, especially with vodkas. I plan on having some sample tastings at the Oyster Bar just to open that discussion.
Let’s talk about the Oyster Bar. Will it tilt more toward spirits, or wines, or bubbles?
Two dozen beers, about 15 white wines by the glass—with some obscure varietals and old world blends--and quite a few bubblys. The cocktail menu will be an expression of the participating bartenders…I will boast that it’s the furthest place West you can get a great cocktail.
How about a snapshot of the menu?
Five to seven types of oysters, flown in daily from the West coast and prepared various ways; plus scallops, clams, mussels, and shrimp. Our suppliers have agreed to ship in very small batches, which raises the freshness level considerably.
The space is small and intimate. Is this a trend or a reaction to the times?
I really think both. With 15 seats at the bar, and 40 total, it should be easy to fill, and carry minimal risk. The 50 patio seats are a bonus.
And the interior?
Something you’d see on a side street in Paris—the rescued mosaic tile floor came from France; the windows will open up and out from the bottom, creating a glass awning; and all shucking will be done behind the bar at a molded glass shucking station.
Will we see a high-end cocktail bar here in 2011, like the Violet Hour in Chicago?
Craft cocktail bars, speakeasys, member clubs…I believe several places like that will open here this year. I’m interested, as are others.
If you could open a cocktail bar in St. Louis, where would you put it?
Until recently, I never even thought about Layfayette Square, but it’s a neighborhood—which I likeˆwith good parking. A place like the West End seems saturated all the way around and U City just seems like the wrong demographic for this.
How about downtown Clayton…think it’s ready for a craft cocktail bar?
There’s a lot of money there, but it’s hard-headed money…they want what they want. If folks respond well to the Oyster Bar, though, which is also in Clayton, that opportunity may just present itself.
