TASTE: O.G. TROPICAL TZATZIKI, Milas, Schenectady
O.G. Tropical Tzatziki at Milas, Schenectady. By Andrew Patterson | Photo: K.D. Odhiambo/The Dishing
In Schenectady, Milas’ Bar Director Andrew Patterson taps into the global flavors. In the O.G. Tropical Tzatziki he references the Greek influence which became Milas’ signature cocktail.
Words: Susie Davidson Powell
Photos: K.D. Odhiambo/The Dishing
Location: Milas, Schenectady, N.Y.
The cocktail: The O.G. Tropical Tzatziki
The Ingredients: Staple Gin, Mextaxa Greek ouzo, pineapple juice, lime juice, cucumber syrup, clarified with a fresh dill whipped Greek yogurt.
TINY Pairing: Miniature lamb kefta with labneh and dill — by Milas Executive Chef Devin Ziemann.
The inspiration: “Before we opened Milas, we had our first Milas preview wine dinner as a pop up in The Rabbit Hole, the event space above Milas’ sibling restaurant, The Nest. I asked chef if I could make a welcome drink as I wanted to test it for our first menu. I wanted the cocktail to be something that used a few ingredients of tzatziki (one of my fav sauces ever), but made more approachable by putting it in a sour format (spirit/sugar/citrus) rather than a martini. It’s not quite the same as the final Tropical Tzatziki that’s always on our menu at Milas since as that is not clarified or pre-batched.
The build: In the O.G., we used Staple New York gin as it is more citrusy/floral than juniper dominant. The pineapple juice added that perfect touch of sugar, tartness and familiarity. Since we were batching for a group event I knew I wanted to clarify the drink for ease of serving. It was my first time using Greek yogurt and we let it sit for 12 hours and strained it twice through a cheesecloth. While it’s very time consuming compared to using regular milk, it does give just the right amount of tang from the whey in the yogurt.
Meet Andrew in our tastemaker interview here.
View Patterson’s Panda Panda cocktail here + the Chawabunga here.
