Apothecary might be best known as an understated bar to get classic and unexpected elixirs, but its food program also stuns with tasty vegan Bolognese and its hangar steak plate. So when former bartender Kayla McDowell approached bar manager Gregory Huston about creating a drink that would blend food and spirits in one, he told her to go for it.
The result was the Tom Kha-llins ($18), a blend of a classic cocktail with a savory and spicy twist. It’s a drink that Huston says “is a statement for what Apothecary is.”
Apothecary often experiments with its cocktails, like the Pekin Tom, a twist on an old fashioned made with duck confit-washed bourbon, or the Inappropriate Beet Pun, a gin-beet drink topped with a goat cheese foam. Huston says the team is constantly coming up with new things to add to the menu.
The Tom Kha-llins is a savory interpretation of the Tom Collins cocktail, a drink typically made with gin, lemon juice, sugar, and club soda. Apothecary’s is made with lemongrass-makrut lime gin, tom kha soup, lime, and soda.
Tom kha soup is not on the food menu at Apothecary—it’s made specifically for this cocktail in the bar’s kitchen. Huston says the soup is made with coconut milk, sugar, vegetable stock, fish sauce, gochujang, galangal, and lemongrass. The gin used in the cocktail is made with makrut lime leaves and lemongrass, and it’s cooked sous-vide at 135 degrees. Both of these are shaken with lime, poured over ice, topped with club soda, and garnished with a button mushroom and Thai basil.
The drink starts out citrusy and light, Huston says, but it evolves into sweet and deep flavors of tom kha soup. It’s also got a bit of a kick: “I would say it’s a level two out of five.”
The menus are often changing at Apothecary, so sneak in to try this one soon.
Apothecary, 1922 Greenville Ave., 972-850-9192.
This story originally appeared in the August issue of D Magazine with the headline, “Soup’s On.” Write to [email protected].
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