By Flavor & The Menu
May 6, 2021
Photo credit: Joy Asico Dan Marlowe
Modena offers modern Italian cuisine using regionally sourced ingredients, and the cocktail menu supports the theme. “The Enzo Ferrari cocktail is an homage to local-made, classic tradition and modern innovation,” says Dan Marlowe, Lead Bartender.
The drink is inspired, in part, by Executive Chef John Melfi’s commitment to hand-grinding grain for pasta flour, on premise, every day. Distillers at McClintock Distilling Company in Frederick, Md., also stone-grind their grain onsite for their whiskey mash bills. “This allows for a lower temperature and a more nuanced grind, resulting in more character and flavor in the finished product,” says Marlowe.
A Sazerac is traditionally made with Cognac or rye whiskey, but the Enzo Ferrari stars white whiskey, allowing the unaged spirit to serve as a neutral canvas for flavor building. Marlowe does this subtly: a lemon verbena-hibiscus is balanced with signature Peychaud’s bitters and a locally produced absinthe. “We complement the aromatic creation by employing both a traditional unflared absinthe rinse and a modern flare of ignited absinthe on top of the drink,” says Marlowe. It’s sexy and eye-catching, just like the race cars Ferrari once built in Modena, Italy. “Guests appreciate the drink’s framework and backstory, as well as its aromas and taste.”
