The real thing
John Kessler reports.
| More 'Front Burner' articles in this issue |
| Mango madness |
| Coming of age |
| Coup de foie gras |
| The summer of Slow Food |
| Sad good-bye |
| A final toast |
Atlanta— Holeman and Finch Public House in Atlanta presents a startling bill of fare, but early guests have shown enthusiastic support for chef Linton Hopkins (Restaurant Eugene) and his neotraditionalist Southern take on pub grub. They dig into fried pig's ears and tails with barbecue sauce, a croque-monsieur made with country ham (redubbed "Crunchy Gentleman"), and souse—a pile of distressingly delicious hot pig goo slicked in sharp gribiche sauce. They also let Hopkins' partner, star mixologist Greg Best, pour whatever concoction he has invented of late. If Best says you should drink a Nihilist Sour made with Rittenhouse rye whiskey and a cardamom tincture, there is no resisting.
Yet those who ask for a simple Coke—Atlanta's answer to mother's milk—get the real surprise. Hopkins and Best have struck a deal with the Coca-Cola Company to make Holeman and Finch a test lab for what they're nailing as the "Perfect Serve" of the fizzy favorite.Best starts with a deeply chilled eight-ounce contour bottle and a "Georgia green" bell-shaped glass. Customers choose their ice (shaved, cubed, or none at all), citrus (just-cut lemon or lime), and flavoring syrups (cherry, mint, lime—all house-made). Of course, if you eschew the add-ons, Best won't stop you. Hopkins, a native Atlantan, swigs his right from the bottle.
Regulars have already figured out how to improve on the Perfect Serve. The barkeeps at Holeman and Finch have a stash of Mexican cane sugar Coke they use for the Southern Cola cocktail—a smashing mixture of cola, Amaro Mio, and a cube of frozen lime juice. Straight up, the Mexican Coke has a clean finish lacking in today's American Coke, which is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. That, many say, is the taste of old Atlanta.
