Master Mixologist: Cody Pruitt of UNION FARE in Union Square

Cody Pruitt of Union Fare in the Union Square neighborhood of New York City is our "Master Mixologist." For the past decade, Cody worked in all facets of nightlife at over 50 NYC hot spots with his promotion and marketing company, The Bespoke Group. In 2012, Cody became a partner in Harding's Kitchen & Bar. Upon ending his nightlife tenure in 2015, he initially returned to the food & beverage world by hosting his own "Couteau" series of highly successful pop-up dinners, and connecting and working with acclaimed chefs across the country. Eventually, he took up managing the day-to-day operations of Harding's for a year before opening Casa Neta Mezcaleria & Tequileria in 2016 as partner, GM and Beverage Director. There, he curated and maintained an agave spirits list totalling more than 175 bottles, featuring them in dozens of classic and original cocktails as well as an extensive flight program. In 2017 he joined the team at Union Fare as Wine Director and Bar Manager, growing and improving the beverage program as well as managing the upcoming Novel Room Cocktail Bar.

When did you first become interested in the cocktail culture?

I was working in bars and restaurants throughout my time at NYU, but I really caught the "cocktail bug" when I was living in the East Village in 2007, literally bookended by PDT and Death & Co. I spent as much time at those two bars as well as at Milk & Honey as I could, and was lucky enough to be around Sasha Petraske when he had his coffee bar The Mercury Dime (that became a hangout/study lounge for myself and a handful of now-successful food and wine industry workers, all 20 and 21 years old at the time).

What innovations in mixology and bartending do you find fascinating?

I try to stay away from trends as much as possible, but using sous vide for a variety of ingredient preparations has made my life significantly easier - whether it be preserving the freshness of a volatile component or ensuring full hydration of a product, or simple guaranteeing consistency from batch to batch, I'm finding new applications for sous vide every day.

How do restaurant and bar guests encourage your creativity?

Working with chefs definitely forces me to step my game up, in a variety of ways. First, their approach to ingredients is dramatically different than mine, so I've recently found myself often running to one of our chefs to taste something or bounce an idea off of them. Secondly, cocktails are inherently not totally food friendly, and will often overwhelm the palate - by constantly reminding myself that the customer is sitting at a table in the restaurant to eat dinner first and foremost, my cocktails have to complement the dish instead of being the sole focus. As far as bar guests are concerned, the level of knowledge that the average guest has in terms of cocktails and ingredients these days has increased dramatically over the past decade or so - I'm not often at a loss for ideas or words, but I definitely have found myself forced to think outside of the box thanks to a guest's informed request.

What are your preferred "classic cocktails" and why?

I love the well known classics, like the Old Fashioned, the Manhattan, etc, but I've found myself looking back through old cocktail books like Charles H. Baker's Jigger, Beaker, and Glass for lesser known vintage concoctions... More often than not, the original recipe is pretty damn gross, so taking that and reproportioning it into something delicious is unbelievably satisfying. My current favorite is the Hotel Nacional Especial - it's got everything you want from a true, classic, perfect Daiquiri, but ups the mouthfeel with a gomme syrup and adds a dry yet still fruit-forward note with apricot liqueur.

What are some of your favorite infusions and how you like to use them in drinks?

I don't find myself doing that many straight infusions these days anymore as I find I can better manipulate and control the end result as well as tailor each cocktail to the individual guest's preferences by using flavored syrups, juices, tinctures and bitters instead. That said, the last great infusion that I played with was a tonka bean-perfumed armagnac that I made a Bittered Sling with maple syrup from Quebec and bitters made from the same spices that are used in Montreal smoked meat - a boozy ode to my favorite parts of Quebecois cuisine.

Tell us about a few of your signature cocktails and why they are distinctive.

I'm the resident "tiki guy" on the team these days, so I usually end up with riffs on classic Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic recipes. Also, every single cocktail menu I've been involved with has some sort of Pina Colada on it, so it's safe to call that a signature, as well. In the case of our current menu at Union Fare, my colada riff is the "Making Love at Midnight" - it's essentially a classic recipe, but I treat the coconut cream like one would process condensed milk to make dulce de leche, pressure cooking it until it caramelized and turns into this beautiful amber color. Thanks to the added sweetness from that, I decided to use cachaça instead of a rum due to it being dryer and funkier. Another drink that I'm especially proud of these days is also quite simple - a spin on the Trader Vic classic the El Diablo. I split the liquor base between reposado tequila and a mezcal, and instead of using ginger beer, I make a potent ginger syrup, and add carbonation through the addition of a bone-dry petillant naturel sparkling wine, which helps fortify the drink while also contributing some beautiful, fresh fermentation notes to the overall flavor profile.

Give us your perfect pairing for a cocktail and a culinary selection.

I'm afraid I might be a little boring on this one, but my go-to pairing when I drink cocktails with dinner is simple and utterly effective: a rhum agricole daiquiri, to be enjoyed alongside a shellfish tower. The crisp acidity and overall dryness perfectly complements briny oysters and clams, and the grassy funky of the rhum adds a new dimension to sweet lobster, crab, and shellfish.

Tell us a little about your company or restaurant.

Union Fare is a multi-concept space comprising a high-end gastro-hall during the day, a bakery, a café, a beer hall, 3 bars, and a contemporary American restaurant. Whew, that's a mouthful, but it truly is a magical project - if you can't find one (if not 5) different dishes, drinks, or parts of the space that you enjoy, I just don't know what to tell you. Thanks to the rock-star team we've assembled, UF has something for everyone. I'm beyond blessed to be able to curate guests' experiences at our bars and on the restaurant from early in the morning to, well, the early hours of the following morning, and thanks to our crack F&B crew, we're able to do that 7 days a week without breaking a sweat or sacrificing creativity.

Union Fare is located at 61 East 18th Street, New York, NY 10003. Call them at 212.633.6003 and visit http://www.unionfare.com/.

Editor's Note: Stay tuned to Broadwayworld.com. Union Fare will soon be featured as our "Bar of the Week."

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Cody Pruitt

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