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Photography courtesy of Grand Tavern by David Burke
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Photography courtesy of Grand Tavern by David Burke
Meredith Barry, Angad Arts Hotel's beverage director, has created a Bloody Mary befitting its surroundings.
“We use Campbell’s tomato puree in our Bloody Marys because it’s good stuff,” says Barry. “I was looking at these cans we’re throwing away every day—I’m crazy and want to save everything—and I think, ‘We’re in an art hotel. Andy Warhol saw art in a Campbell’s can. Why can’t we?’”
Her first collaboration with the Grand Tavern By David Burke, Barry and the team created a large-format drink for tables to share and called it “The Bigger The Tin The Better.” The name comes from a story she once heard about Warhol’s childhood and the drink served up in those repurposed Campbell’s cans.
The 46-ounce Bloody Mary, available for $70 during weekend brunch service, is made with 8 ounces of locally-owned 1220 Encrypted Vodka and served with some inventive accoutrements: a 4-ounce filet mignon, an 8-ounce chuck burger, Grand Tavern’s famous clothesline candied bacon, skewered shrimp cocktail and corn on the cob, a boiled egg, celery, dill pickles, tempura tomato, and mozzarella sticks. As if that weren’t enough to make everyone happy, the whole shebang is flanked by two bottles of 4 Hands Brewing Co's Full Life Lager.
“1220 is a local vodka, and it’s good. Plus, the black pepper notes go great in a Bloody Mary,” Barry says. “As for the food, it’s all things that pair well with a Bloody Mary—beef, bacon, fried foods, crunchy veggies—and a showcase of what Grand Tavern does.”
She recalls her R&D session with the kitchen staff as a creative free-for-all: “We were like giddy kids, just throwing more and more stuff on top of this drink,” she says.
Barry feels that Warhol himself would like the drink, were he alive to try it. “It’s very ridiculous, very abstract. It’s basic and extravagant, humble and gaudy. Warhol’s art is like that. And I think the drink will have its 15 minutes of fame.”
