Getaway in a Glass: 4 Cocktails That Will Transport You
Kendra Anderson is serving transporting vacation-inspired cocktails at her open-air pop-up bar in Denver. Here’s how to mix them up at home.
Courtesy of Kendra Anderson
It was two months into lockdown and Kendra Anderson wanted a vacation badly. The owner of Denver’s Bar Helix had, as had many bar and restaurant owners in the pandemic, pivoted her business model twice only to have to shut the bar down when it turned out not to be sustainable. Bar Helix was a rarity in Denver, as well as in the American cocktail industry: Opened in 2017, it was the only bar outside of New York city dedicated to the Italian cocktail the Negroni; and it was owned by a Black woman, nearly as rare in the male-dominated field. Bar Helix had won awards—and won over Denverites. When it shut down, Anderson was discouraged but undeterred. A restorative planning trip to Tulum with her staff was the dream. Travel restrictions were the reality.
“I was hoping to take the team for a quick getaway,” says Anderson. But the two-week quarantine in Mexico ruled that out. “I was heartbroken,” she says. When the state of Colorado allowed businesses to expand their footprint to outdoor spaces, Anderson saw an opportunity and took over an unused patio nearby, and Bar Helix was re-born as Cabana X @ Bar Helix, the ultimate cocktailian’s fantasy vacation. If Anderson couldn’t go to Tulum she was going to do her best to recreate it on a sun-dappled patio in Denver—at least until the weather turned. Anderson wrote up a menu of beach bites and invented summery cocktails to channel the Riviera Maya, Martha’s Vineyard, and other beachy playgrounds. Denverites couldn’t be happier. “Everybody who comes here says it’s the vacation they needed but couldn’t go on,” say Anderson, whose spirits are lifted by the sight of people dressing up and wearing tropical print dresses, or putting on a cute hat like they’re anywhere but home. “It’s like people are getting into a character and saying to themselves ‘I’m headed to Negril tonight so I’m going to wear my pineapple flip flops.’” Do yourself a favor, put on your traveling clothes, mix up one of these cocktails, and bring those Cabana X vacation vibes to your backyard.
A former caterer and sommelier, Kendra Anderson specializes in cocktails that evoke a place. Bar Helix made a name for itself serving numerous variations on the Florentine cocktail the Negroni, which is in its classic form equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. At the time of this writing Cabana X was serving a cocktail menu themed around Negril, Jamaica, and Ibiza. The food on the menu is equally escapist. “When I’m on vacation I want an amazing burger poolside at the hotel,” says Anderson. “And I want chips and guacamole, no matter where I am.”
Courtesy of Kendra Anderson
Transport Yourself with These Cocktail Recipes
Picante Piña-Rita
The pineapple margarita gets a double shot of heat thanks to chile liquor and spicy bitters.
Aperol Spritz Shave Ice
Two quintessentially summery treats—the ubiquitous seasonal spritz elixir Aperol and slushy shave ice—come together in this superlative version of an adult snow cone.
Boozy Karpouzi
Karpouzi, the ultra-refreshing Greek watermelon salad, is reinterpreted as a cocktail spiked with warm-weather botanicals by way of fennel liquor and crème de violette.
The Bar Helix Cocktail
Kendra Anderson is a trained sommelier, and self-taught bartender. She named Bar Helix after the shape of a cork screw. As a wine professional she naturally gravitated toward the Negroni, which relies heavily on two grape-based liqueurs. Cabana X serves this as a nod to its sister bar.
Essential Cocktail Tools
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Barfly Shaker Cocktail Tin
You might’ve noticed the better bartenders out there are all working “tin on tin” (barspeak for using two metal shakers). There’s no risk of breakage, separating shakers is a snap, plus they stack and store tidily. At 19 bucks for a set how can you not upgrade?
Japanese-Style Jigger
Sure you could use a measuring pitcher or shot glass, but make a show of it with this copper Japanese jigger.
Mixing Glass
Once a rarity, now standard issue for modern bartenders, this Japanese-inspired mixing glass is ideal for stirring up aromatic cocktails like Manhattans and Martinis.
Luminarc Barcraft Coupe Cocktail
At 5.5 ounces the coupe is just the right size for having two cocktails without going overboard.
Rock-Style Old Fashioned Whiskey Glasses
Water glass by day, Boulevardier vessel by night, a set of lowballs will set you right.
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