Three things catch your attention when Ocean Strike arrives at the table. Few cocktails are so enchanting in appearance, reminiscent of the shimmering pale turquoise tidal lagoons of the Maldives. The exotic fantasy continues with each sip. Yet somewhere in the back of your mind, tapping at these reflections, are more practical notions – but more on that later.
It’s an engaging cocktail, but also elusive and contemplative. A sip and it beckons with tropical splendor, tipping between orange zest, fresh lemon and a distant, indistinct floral impression. But it also shows you a bitter tone, with an herbaceousness that both complements the fruit and lends a hint of seaweed in the ocean breeze. Although the inviting hue suggests something light, the cocktail has a creamy presence.
Ocean Strike begins with clarified gin, which not only mutes the bite of the spirit, but also gives it a richness. A measure of blue spirulina for color and a grassy note, italicus liqueur, a boost from citric acid and the cocktail is batched at Montrio, where it was created, and portioned to Tarpy’s Roadhouse and Rio Grill.
The practicality results from the restaurant group Coastal Roots Hospitality. The owners had the cocktail created in celebration of their partnership with Monterey Bay FC. A dollar from each one sold goes to a local charity, starting with youth soccer nonprofits. So Ocean Strike may help the team in the future, even as it drives fans to drink in the present – which, as it turns out, is a good place to be.