by Katie Gutierrez and Liana Neri
Pear-a-normal
Check back each week as we challenge a new St. Louis bartender extraordinaire to come up with a drink that fits our monthly Thirsty Thursday theme. They’re pulling out all the stops, armed with their most inventive tricks, fresh-squeezed juices, superior liquors and house-made infusions. Their creations are sure to keep your taste buds guessing. This month, in honor of our September Fall Fashion Issue, we are asking bartenders to create a drink for the fashion-forward patron.
The Bartender: Michelle Longfellow
The Bar: Three Sixty Rooftop Bar, 1 S. Broadway, Downtown
The Challenge: Create for us your most trendy and fashionable cocktail.
The Drink: Pear-a-normal
GREY GOOSE La Poire
The Big O Ginger Liqueur
Fresh organic lemon juice
Simple syrup
In keeping with our monthly theme, this week’s trendy drink comes to us from the ultimate rooftop bar in STL, Three Sixty. As the location of our official after-party for Liquid Style, the final night of Saint Louis Fashion Week, there couldn’t be a more fitting spot for this particular TT challenge.
Michelle Longfellow, who’s been tending bar for seven years and is no stranger to experimentation, made a specialty fall drink that’s not yet on the menu: the Pear-a-normal. While not much can compete with the stunning views of Downtown from Three Sixty’s panorama windows, this martini certainly came close. It incorporated the fresh flavors of fall without being too overpowering. The ginger liqueur (you may remember The Big O from this story back in January) added an extra layer of zest to the martini while balancing well with the citrus notes of the fresh organic lemon juice. Michelle explained that not only is this the perfect fall drink for the colder months, but the Pear-a-normal is a multi-gendered martini as well–self-conscious men can order this martini without feeling like they were ordering a “frou-frou” drink.
The first thing we noticed as we sipped this light martini was how well the lemon complemented the pear vodka. The martini was fruity without being summery, and after a few more sips we both agreed that this martini should stick around all year on the menu. Try it for yourself starting October 1 when 360′s new fall menu launches.
Michelle Longfellow
What’s your favorite drink? A traditional cosmo, if made right. I’m picky about where I order them. Some places don’t make it right.
What’s the weirdest request you’ve gotten? A Hennessy Margarita is probably one of the weirdest requests I’ve gotten.
Someone orders ________ and you automatically know they have no idea what they’re talking about. Well a lot of people are still new and they don’t exactly know what they’re looking for, so they’ll stick to what they know, like a Long Island Iced Tea or something. There’s so many options out there right now.
