He’s been helping us create original cocktail recipes for the past month, and the other day we finally got a chance to catch up with Aaron Gordon, owner and founder of 13th Street Cocktails, to pick his brain and chat a little bit more about his latest endeavor. And to get the conversation going, we decided to roll up some heady Trainwreck we had left over from our recent Sativa Swizzle cocktail shoot. Turns out, it really is a great conversation starter.
How’s the Trainwreck?
It’s actually very tasty.
He takes another hit, then passes it my way.
You’ve been helping us with our cocktail and cannabis pairings for the past month. What are your thoughts on this sort of thing? These sort of pairings?
I love them. I drink a lot, and smoke on occasion, so this sort of thing is right up my alley. I think the whole concept is actually pretty brilliant, especially considering where the whole pot culture is going right now. Besides, it’s really the same audience anyways—if you’re into booze and specialty cocktails, you’re more than likely into getting high every once in a while, so marrying the two together just makes sense.
Does it differ much from other pairings you typically do?
Well, yes, because smoking is obviously a bit different than eating.
With foods, you have different ingredients and textures that compliment different flavors. You’ve got fats, oils, juices, and a whole bunch of other food-related characteristics that really help influence the pairing and turn the entire act into an artform. One that takes a lot practice—a lot of research, trial and error, etc. It’s really just a different overall sensation.
With smoking, there’s definitely a skill needed to properly pair different cannabis flavors with different cocktails, but it’s not as complex. Sure, the different cannabis strains have different tastes and scents, but the overall food sensation isn’t there. You’re really just looking for flavors that help bring out the flavors of the cocktail ingredients you’re sipping on. You also may want certain cocktails that have a little more acidity to provide more salivation—this helps a lot with that dry, cotton mouth feeling you get from the cannabis.
What’s been your favorite pairing so far? Or were you more a fan of the straight up Sativa Swizzle?
Definitely the Sativa Swizzle. I love being able to play with the actual cannabis—creating the tincture, the spray, etc. Plus you’ve also got the whole olfactory advantage. When you add the tincture, the scent and fragrance of the cannabis really comes out from inside the cocktail. That heady, dank aroma, combined with the aroma of the fruits and liquors in the cocktail, really help elevate the whole cocktail sipping experience.
Alright, let’s talk about your company, 13th Street Cocktails. What is that? What do you guys do?
(Takes a big hit) We’re a craft cocktail catering company.
So what does that mean? You only serve alcohol?
We typically only serve cocktails, beer, and wine, although it really all depends on our clients’ needs. While we specialize in craft cocktails, we’ve definitely been doing more and more wine dinners and seminars over the past year. We don’t usually handle food service ourselves, but we do work with various top chefs in all our markets and often make introductions with our clientele.
So essentially you bring a speakeasy-type bar to private events?
Speakeasy-type anything is kind of played out already. While exclusive policies and secret passwords to get into bars somehow became cool again, prohibition ended about 80 years ago and the need for a “speakeasy” kind of went out the door with it. Also, it’s worth noting that a lot of the spirits and alcohols we use today weren’t even available back then, so it’s kind of strange to use that term when it doesn’t really apply.
Alright, so if not a speakeasy, how would you describe it?
We basically employ all the same practices you’d find in a high-end craft cocktail bar—bitters, cordials, fresh ingredients, etc.—and we bring them to private events. Our style is simply handmade-everything. We craft our own specialty cocktails, build our own bars, and design all of our own menus and other related event materials. We kind of just see ourselves as purveyors of fine craft cocktails made with the finest choice ingredients..
And you do it all out of a horse trailer?
(Laughs). Ah, yes, the horse trailer. That whole thing started because we wanted to have a mobile bar that we could bring with us to our events that would not only save setup time, but also create a unique bar experience. We initially looked at several Airstreams, but they were just way too expensive. Then one day, I was out on my parents farm and noticed the horse trailer and was like, “Wow, this would be a great place for a bar.” A little elbow grease and a few pieces of reclaimed barn wood scraps later, and we had ourselves a fully functional horse wagon bar to bring to events throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Definitely makes for a great conversation piece. Does it have a name?
Damn, that’s the only thing it’s missing.
He grabs the joint from me and takes a big hit.
Ask me again in 5 minutes and I’ll have something for you.
(Laughs) So where did the whole idea behind 13 Street Cocktails come from?
Well I used to bartend at various bars and restaurants throughout Miami and New York, and customers would always ask me if I could cater an event or do some private bartending for them. At the time I didn’t think much of it, but over the years, I started to get a little tired of the whole bar scene—the crazy hours, chaotic atmosphere, etc.—and slowly started doing more and more private events. Before I knew it, I was doing one or two events a week and starting my own company just seemed like the next natural step.
You mentioned you worked in hospitality in both Miami and New York. What were your primary functions? Work at any interesting places?
Well I started out as a barback, then a waiter, and then slowly got into bartending at different clubs and restaurants throughout Miami and New York. A lot of the work was for the Morgans Hotel Group. From there I linked up with The Tippling Bros., who sparked a whole new fascination for the food and beverage industry for me. Eventually that let to a job working for the Rioja Wine Region, where I worked on their marketing and served as their main brand ambassador for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic US regions.
And what got you into the service and hospitality industry to begin with? Specifically bartending…easy money? Easy way to meet girls?
(Laughs) Well, yes and no. I was at culinary school at the time and, after doing a few internships in kitchens and seeing how overworked and underpaid the back of the house staff were, then seeing how much fun and better paid the front of the houses were, I kind of just gravitated towards the excitement and energy of the bar.
Plus, at the time, the whole craft cocktail movement was beginning to gain momentum. There were celebrity chefs and beverage professionals popping up left and right. The more I looked into it, the more interested I got…not just about the craft cocktail process, but about the liquors and spirits themselves. There are such rich stories and histories behind a lot of the brands and the families behind them—I found it all quite amazing and just wanted to learn more.
But meeting chicks wasn’t a bad perk either, right?
(Laughs) Absolutely. I met all of my ex’s during bar shifts, so it definitely didn’t hurt.
Let’s talk about the name for a second. 13 Street Cocktails. How did you come up with that?
Well when I lived Miami working in the service and hospitality industry, I was living on the 13th floor of a condo. Then when we first started the company, it happened to be in a loft on 13th Street in Philadelphia…so it kind of just made sense. Plus the number carries a sort of mystique to it, and we kind of liked that.
That’s definitely true. Many would go a step further and say the number 13 is kind of unlucky though… after all, many office buildings and condos even skip that floor altogether.
Definitely, but it’s been good to me over the years, and so hopefully that good will carry over with 13th Street Cocktails.
And it already seems like it has. You guys only started two years ago and have already been gaining some nice traction. What was your last event like?
For sure. 2015 has thankfully been a big year for us so far. We’ve been fortunate enough to have been hired not just for small private functions, but also several bigger, more corporate events. Our last job was for 1,300 guests at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.
1,300? That’s a lot of craft cocktail. How’d you pull that off?
Well that’s the secret sauce. That’s our specialty.
Your speciality?
We do a great job with batch cocktails for large events. Ensuring the same quality for hundreds, even thousands, of people. We’re not just throwing everything in a bucket. It takes a rich understanding of the process to ensure the flavor and quality of a craft cocktail stays consistent, even when served to large groups of people. I’d say this is where we excel particularly well.
And how did you guys come to that understanding? How did you perfect the process?
Well, a lot of trial and error for the most part. Since we started we’ve played around with a lot of different variations on both traditional cocktails and our own original recipes. Thankfully all that noodling has paid off in that we’ve nailed down the process and figured out what works and what doesn’t.
So what works?
Well, without giving too much away, a lot of it is about proper batching and ensuring that every one you make always has the same quality and taste. With our fresh batching, you get the same quality drink as a craft cocktail bar without the 1.5-2 minute wait per drink. Our drinks literally take seconds to make, and that’s how we’re able to efficiently serve craft cocktails at a 1,000+ event. And I guarantee you every one of those cocktails will taste just as good, if not better, than a $15 cocktail you’d buy at a typical big-city craft cocktail establishment.
Makes sense. So how do you decide which cocktails to serve at which events?
We like anything that’s as seasonal as possible. So for the summer, we’re crafting a lot of tequila-based cocktails with different variations of locally sourced fruits and vegetables. We have a dedicated organic garden that we use to source fresh ingredients for different recipes. It has a few acres of land planted with all different types of herbs and vegetables that we use in our drinks. It’s a great way to keep things fresh, keep costs down, and ensure that the flavors in all the drinks we serve are super rich and tasty. We also play around with a lot of botanicals and teas for many of our gin-based cocktails. All these fresh ingredients really make a difference and help add to the overall taste and experience.
And what about for the fall and when we begin moving towards the colder months?
In the fall we start to move more towards apples and pears and create interesting cocktails with cinnamon, ciders…even punches—a little more spice, for sure. Less clear spirits and more barrel-aged spirits and liqueurs—whiskies, cognacs, brandies, etc. Our milk punch recipe even had a write up in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Oh? And what’s in that?
Cognac, rum, whiskey, pineapple, lemon, some lime leaves, and a whole bag of spices and milk. We boil the milk and add it to the cocktail batch where it begins to curdle from the all the acid in the alcohol and lemon juice. We then throw it in a giant filter and the entire mixture comes out clear. It’s great because you strip away all the solids, leaving just the softness from the acids in the milk. It’s sort of Bill Nye meets the bar type of stuff.
Interesting. And what about you? Do you have a favorite cocktail?
I like pretty much everything, but I’m a huge negroni guy year-round. I used to keep a carafe filled with it on my desk, but that began to raise some questions at work (laughs), so nowadays it’s hidden away in the fridge.
And what’s your your perfect Negroni recipe?
1½ oz Beefeater gin, 1 oz Campari, and the ¾ oz vermouth is really a toss-up. I personally like a little more bitter and dryness to mine. Carpano Antica is great. I’ve really been expanding my collection into Spanish vermouths lately. I think the vermouth you’re using can often have more impact on the drink than the brand of gin itself.
So what’s next for 13th st cocktails?
Hopefully to expand beyond Philly and really cater to NYC and its surrounding areas. I’m also going out west to plant some seeds in California and currently pursuing some restaurant beverage program opportunities in Miami for winter 2016.
And what kind of seeds were you looking to plant?
(Laughs) Not your kind. At least not yet.
While we were prepping for the interview (rolling up that Trainwreck, for the most part), Aaron was kind enough to whip up a 13th Street Cocktail original—the Ocho Cinco. Named after the tequila it’s made with and the fact that it has five (cinco in Spanish) main ingredients, this refreshing summer cocktail is perfect for a hot summer’s day.
Ocho Cinco Ingredients:
- 2 oz of Tequila Ocho Plata
- 1 oz Lime
- ¾ ounce simple syrup
- ¼ of a seeded, finely diced jalapeno (To add more heat, leave a few seeds for shaking.)
- 1” wide strip of poblano pepper, finely diced
- Few sprigs of cilantro (avoid stems)
Add above ingredients to shaker, shake, and double strain over ice. Garnish with a swath of poblano pepper.
Photography by Idris Solomon
