Bartender Kenny Aguilera is checking for leaks in a handheld oak barrel that is full of water – once the wood swells appropriately, he’ll use it to make a small batch of barrel-aged negroni. It’s one of several new cocktail ideas in the works at Altura Lounge, where the current menu, some six weeks into opening, is 10 drinks long.
Aguilera is both daydreaming about expanding it and perfecting what is already there. “It’s never perfect – there’s always something you’re working on, no matter what,” he says.
Offerings include the Winter Tea (with a generous pour of bourbon, which is infused with black tea from Salinas-based Zum Zum Tea, and lemon syrup for a not-too-sweet citrus kick; bitters, served over one giant ice cube). There are twists on classics, like the Sunday Drive (pisco, elderflower, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white) and the Mezcal Mule with ginger beer, lime juice, passionfruit puree and agave.
At $15 each and served in a dimly lit bar, Aguilera and owner Oscar Alcala are hoping to bring something different to Salinas with craft cocktails. And early indications show it is working: There are already regulars, and those regulars tend to return with friends.
There’s an emphasis on local ingredients, like vodka from Salinas distillery Zenona. As the owner of Zenona leaves the bar after lunch, Alcala muses about the value of relationships: “Am I ever going to meet the Tito’s owner? I try to keep it local as much as I can.”
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