Word on the street is that Jedi Mixologist Mike Ryan of Sable Kitchen & Bar is in close collaboration with Chef Derek Simcik on the pairings for the November 14th Atwood Baconfest Satellite Dinner.
He’ll be starting with a bacon champagne cocktail: bacon bitters, champagne, sugar cube. And he’s thinking a desert course will be paired with a rum cocktail featuring, bacon, chocolate and chipotle peppers. Um… YES! (And of course the bacon co-mingling with Mike’s drinks will be NUESKE’S.)
This guys is a true maestro. His bacon/rum cocktail SWINE & THINE (Zacapa, bacon syrup, creme de cacao and chocolate bitters) was a HUGE hit at Baconfest Chicago 2011 last April.
We can’t wait to see what else he has up his sleeve to accompany Chef Simcik’s fantastic Menu. Still some seats available. See Atwood Baconfest Satellite Dinner for details.
(Photo: Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants)
Mike Ryan
As head bartender at Sable Kitchen & Bar, Mike Ryan brings his signature culinary flair to the craft cocktail movement. The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago graduate, former Moto sous chef and self-described “shot and a beer guy” became accidentally enamored with bar-tending while working as a cook at Fulton Market molecular gastronomy restaurant Moto between 2005 and 2008. “He [owner Homaro Cantu] wanted a cook behind the bar,” remembers Ryan. “I was literally looking up things like highballs in a book.” Soon, Ryan became interested in the possibilities presented by unusual spirits, classic mixes and new flavor profiles.
Ryan grew up outside Philadelphia in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and moved to Chicago in 2001 to attend culinary school, and, while working at Otom and Moto, began spending his free time at Wicker Park’s The Violet Hour. “I was trying all the classics, reading up on the history,” Ryan remembers. In 2008, he was asked to join The Violet Hour team.
“My mentor is [Violet Hour head bartender] Mike Rubel,” says Ryan. “He’s incredibly knowledgeable about spirits and their history.” Ryan spent his time at The Violet Hour “banging out drinks, tasting, learning, really understanding the relationships between sweet, sour, bitter and booze.” At the same time, he continued to hone his hospitality skills. “How great is it when you can give somebody exactly what they’re looking for, even if they don’t know exactly what they want?”
Ryan’s behind-the-bar plan for Sable is to leave guests feeling both at home and constantly engaged. As far as mixology goes, he says, “I’m a fan of bright, loud, vibrant flavors. I like to use egregious amounts of bitters, bold whiskeys and to try cool savory ingredients while utilizing my kitchen background to ‘take it to the next level.’” Ryan wouldn’t have left The Violet Hour for an opportunity any less promising, he says. “Being in charge at Sable gives me the chance to explore some thoughts I have about cocktails, and chase down a few philosophical ideas about bar-tending.” Under Ryan’s leadership, the Sable bar houses one of the largest selections of brown spirits in the city.
An Albany Park, Chicago, resident, Ryan was a 2009 scholarship recipient in the Cocktail Apprentice program at New Orleans’ annual Tales of the Cocktail, a high-profile industry convention. He has been featured in Time Out Chicago, The New York Times and Whiskey magazine.