Jessica Bevenour and the More Bean for Your Buck cocktail at Heritage (Photo by Jay Paul)
Richmond magazine: What’s your process when you create a new drink?
Jessica Bevenour: I get inspired by words and names, so sometimes the name comes first, like a good movie quote or song name that can be turned into a play on a drink or ingredient. Sometimes I start with the flavor profile I want to create.
RM: Do you have any favorite cocktails on the summer menu?
Bevenour: My favorite drink, weirdly, is the first drink I came up with for the menu [at Southbound]. It’s called The Fennel Countdown. It’s more of a savory cocktail, but it’s bright and easy to drink. It’s got all the notes I want: savory, light, fruity, fresh. I use pink and black peppercorns and cloves to infuse the gin, and I add fennel-infused Dolin Blanc vermouth, acidified orange juice — we take the oranges that we peel for garnishes and juice them, then add acid to get it to the level of lime juice — and some celery shrub and soda. At Heritage, get the Tip of the Tongue, which is a tequila drink: Espolon Reposado, Amaro Montenegro, passion fruit, cardamom tincture, lime and hopped grapefruit.
RM: What ingredients do you like to use?
Bevenour: I like to use things you don’t commonly see. One of my new favorite drinks is called More Bean for Your Buck. There’s red bean paste, miso and aquafaba [liquid made from chickpea water], so it has that velvety, whipped egg white quality. I also love anything with any amaro; it adds so much depth and nuance.
RM: Is there a memorable drink that influenced the way you see your craft?
Bevenour: I was in Durham once and had a frozen piña colada that had absinthe. It tasted like biscotti. It was such a weird combination, very delicious. I love it when drinks surprise me.
