SALT’s DIY Cocktail Menu

 

The Cocktail Element menu lets you design your own drink

“Anything sangría,” the well-dressed man behind the bar at SALT the Bistro {1047 Pearl Street, Boulder; 303.444.7258} responded when we asked him for recommendations on a refreshing summer drink. But unlike most craft cocktail menus, choosing a drink from the Cocktail Element menu at SALT isn’t as simple as randomly choosing the menu item with the most intriguing name. It’s advertised as a “personalized cocktail invention.” SALT’s DIY cocktail menu employs a three-part ordering system created to encourage customized drinks and the exploration of new cocktail combinations. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Select a spirit. Choose from high-quality and often locally made vodka, gin, rum, tequila, bourbon, or Scotch liquors.

Step 2: Select a house-infused simple syrup. Using fresh ingredients, and all made in-house, the simple syrup offerings range from commonly used simple syrups like vanilla, cucumber, mint, and lemongrass, to unique infusions like strawberry-basil, blood orange-rosemary, chipotle, and ginger.

Step 3: Select a style. Options include French 75 (sparkling wine and lemon juice), gimlet, sour (Rickey), cocktail, fizz (Collins), or an Old Fashioned. Cute images of the glassware for each option will help you identify the kind of style you’re looking for.

Taking a cue from the talented cocktail chemist behind the bar on our trip, we opted for a sangría-style drink made with vodka and strawberry-basil house-infused simple syrup. Not only was the color and presentation of the drink visually stunning, but you better believe it was delicious and downright thirst-quenching on a hot Colorado day.

Find out more SALT’s cocktail program here: saltthebistro.com.

By Tyra Sutak | Contributing Writer ​

How to Eat Healthy and Support Local Farms This Winter →

By Tyra Sutak

The cold weather months are quickly approaching—which means the clean-eating, buy local, organic food aficionados of Boulder can kiss the coveted weekly trips to the Farmers’ Market goodbye.

But we live in a very special place, where local chefs, restaurateurs, and farmers are working overtime this time of year to make sure that locally-grown veggies and produce still find their way onto our plates and into our kitchens this fall and winter.

For Chef Bradford Heap, the mastermind behind SALT the Bistro and its sister restaurant, Colterra, sourcing food from local farms year-round embodies his hopefulness for the future of food. His menus change throughout the year to reflect what’s in season. His kitchens are sans freezers to further support his commitment to serving his customers fresh, organic, GMO-free cuisine. He’s invested money and physical labor into local farms in hopes that his efforts today will allow his 10-year old twins to enjoy healthy, tasty food in the future.

It’s about knowing what’s in your food. It’s fully appreciating everything on the animal. It’s about having a larger respect for food and farming. Organic farming isn’t just for hippies anymore.” – Chef Bradford Heap

As the fall harvest season begins, Chef Heap and his team are busy planning and stocking up for the next few months. Working closely with David Asbury of Full Circle Certified Organic Farms—the largest organic vegetable farm in Colorado, the kitchens at SALT and Colterra are filled with chefs pickling, preserving, and curing freshly harvested finds. And it’s not just the farm-to-table movement they’re perfecting. It’s the farm-to-bar movement as well. Local berries end up in simple syrups and fresh herbs create depth to the prohibition era-style cocktails served at the bar. Taste the difference that locally-grown ingredients make at one of Chef Heap’s restaurants, or visit your local farm stand to stock up on your own harvest finds.

Tips from the Local Chefs & Farmers:

• Take stock, store up! Root vegetables, apples, pears, kale, and chard and just a few items in season this time of year. Buy in bulk and store in a cool, dark place for future use.
• Think outside the can. Consider pickling and curing your freshly harvested finds. Pickled watermelon rind and cured meats make a nice addition to a charcuterie board.
• Raspberries and strawberries are still at their peak this time of year. Fresh berries are perfect for preserving into jams and jellies.
• Eating locally is more than just enjoying fresh vegetables and fruit. Locally-made meats and cheese are available all year long.
• Don’t give up on your local farm stand! The folks at Full Circle Farms are serving the public year-round. Check out the hours for their Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Ranch farm store here: http://www.rockymtnpumpkinranch.com/.

The Bolder Life: The Frugal Foodie →

 

Tyra Sutak

Published on: April 6th, 2012

I love food of all different kinds of shapes, sizes, colors and tastes—which is why I feel so lucky to be living in such a unique and tasty foodie Mecca. But as much I like sampling new menus items and frequenting my favorite restaurants, I also like doing things like paying my bills and buying things like toilet paper, laundry detergent and socks. (I’m always losing socks). So I love it when my favorite restaurants offer up deals for the frugal foodie. Whether it’s a weekly special menu, a lunch deal or a killer happy hour, there are plenty of ways to sample a variety of the best local cuisine while still keeping your wallet full with sock fund money. (Seriously, tell me you can find matches for all of the socks in your sock drawer!)

SALT the Bistro | 1047 Pearl St. | Boulder
Farm to Table Lunch Menu
Monday  – Saturday | $9 per person
SALT is always one of the busiest restaurants in downtown Boulder, and it’s really no secret why. They’re preparing incredible food, fresh from the farm, and pairing their menu items with expertly designed cocktails. Even though most of the dinner entrees on SALT’s menu are pretty pricy, customers can still sample their delicious cooking by paying SALT a visit a lunch. For $9 per person, diners can choose a ½ sandwich, cup of soup or side and a “tiny treat” dessert from the Farm to Table Lunch Menu. When’s the last time you had a Roasted Pork Belly Rueben for under $10? 

Dagabi Cucina | 3970 N. Broadway | Boulder
Tapas Happy Hour
Daily from 5-6:30 & all night on Tuesdays | $3-$7 Tapa Menu
It’s embarrassing how many times I’ve left work early just to catch the awesome happy hour that this North Boulder gem offers up on a weekly basis. A typical Dagabi happy hour for me involves great friends, a surprisingly delicious house red wine ($4), a table filled with a variety of tapas and a surprisingly low bill. I’ve been digging on the Pisto Manchego and the Steamed Mussels in a Tomato-Chili Broth lately, but you should probably make Dagbi Cucina your next happy hour destination so that you can pick which of their 33 happy hour tapas is your favorite.

Niwot Tavern |7960 Niwot Road | Niwot
Dinner for Two for $20
Tuesdays | $20 per two people
I’m still full from just thinking about the last time that I dined at this cozy, small-town restaurant on a Tuesday. For $20, two people can choose one appetizer (to share), a soup or salad and an entrée from Niwot Tavern’s “Two for $20 Tuesday” menu. I can still taste their creamy, spicy artichoke dip. (On the appetizer menu). Entrée selections include a crispy Eggplant Parmesan, Single Petit Filet of Beef, Fish and Chips, a tasty Asian Chicken salad and a few other items that are found on the Tavern’s much-loved dinner menu. Amazing deal, but I warn you, go hungry—because you will definitely leave this frugal foodie location with a full stomach and wallet.

Pizzeria Locale | 1730 Pearl St. | Boulder
Aperitivo Menu
Daily from 4:30—5:30 p.m. | $2-$5 Appetizer Menu
Who doesn’t love Pizzeria Locale? The East End eatery has been blowing foodie minds since it opened its doors two years ago. Most people walk out of this restaurant with a full stomach and an empty wallet—which is a shame, because the food that is coming out of this kitchen is good enough to leave me speechless—which is kind of a rarity. But have no fear, Pizzeria Locale is offering an Aperitivo (appetizer) menu composed of delicious small bite appetizers, and even a few of their tasty pizzas. Special pricing for select beer, wine and espresso are also offered.

Arugula | 2785 Iris Ave. | Boulder
Monday Night First Bite
Mondays | $26 per person
First Bite Boulder is a November thing, but the folks at Arugula chose to keep their special First Bite Menu pricing year-round. For $26 per person, every Monday, you get a three-course menu comprised of two appetizers and one main course. I’m not going to lie, I often dream of Arugula’s seared polenta. When a typical dinner entrée costs around $20, it definitely behooves you to check out this three-course frugal foodie deal.

Lucky Pie Louisville | 637 Front St. | Louisville
Happy Hour
Daily from 4-6 p.m. | $3-$5 Appetizer Menu
I love Lucky Pie. I make excuses to go to Louisville just so I can post up in the inviting LP bar area for a pint of good beer and a happy hour pizza (and other happy hour menu items). With 21 rotating tap handles and a healthy selection of good wines and creative cocktails, it’s hard not to find something to drink in this place. Pair one of those delicious drinks with a discount item from the happy hour menu and you, and your wallet are set.

Café Aion | 1235 Pennsylvania Ave. |Boulder
Neighborhood Night
Wednesdays |$35 per two people
Read this. Go here. Pay $35 for two people to share a family style Paella dish with an expertly paired bottle of wine. Now, I’m not a math person, but I know that $35, split between two people, for dinner and a bottle of wine… is a steal—and a tasty one at that. Go here. Trust me.