Cocktail Wisdom from Mixology Maven Phoebe Esmon

The Farmers' Cabinet manager tells how she learned, what she likes & where to go.

Farmers’ Cabinet is one of the best gastropubs currently on the Philly restaurant circuit. The dusky, wood-filled, bi-level space at 1113 Walnut boasts an interesting selection of grub (including housemade charcuterie) and an impressive beer selection, but it was the cocktail menu that caught my eye. From drinks inspired by Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring to cocktails that take cues from the flavor profiles of craft beer, the slate of beverages here is a work of art crafted by bartender Phoebe Esmon.

Esmon believes that while a good cocktail bill of fare isn’t vital to a restaurant’s success, it has certainly played a large role in the Farmers’ Cabinet’s growing popularity. “I think of bartending the way others think of cooking,” Esmon told me. “I am self taught, and slightly OCD, so I obsess over details, and seek out as much information as I can about each spirit, ingredient or method.”

Esmon credits other bartenders with helping her perfect the trade. “I wouldn’t know nearly as much as I do now were it not for a few years spent living in a house full of craft bartenders. While the experience was most likely life-shortening, it was definitely educational.”

When asked which Philadelphia bar (other than her own) she would recommend to a friend, Esmon was ultimately undecided, “There are a lot of great places. It would depend on what the person is looking for. Southwark has been my favorite bar for a long time. I also love to sit at the bar at Alfa, Village Whiskey, Time and Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co.”  

“It's not what is behind a bar; it's who is behind a bar that makes it worthwhile.  All of the bars I recommend are helmed by people who not only know their stuff, but who care that the customers in front of them are well taken care of,” she added.

As for Esmon’s personal favorite glassful at the Farmers’ Cabinet? “It depends on my mood,” she revealed. “Recently I've been leaning toward the Cockaign and the Ritual of Abduction.”

After trying the Cockaign – a cocktail made in the likeliness of a traditional Belgian sour lambic (but without using any beer) – I can see why it tops her list. A fusion of cognac, strawberries, apple cider vinegar, orange bitters, sugar and sparkling wine, it’s an exciting and unique drink, one that would be equally pleasing to a spirits enthusiast or a die hard brew-head.

You can find Phoebe behind the stick at least three nights a week at Farmers’ Cabinet, and if you’re lucky, you’ll catch her husband – noted ‘tender Christian Gaal (late of the defunct Noble American Cookery) – mixing it up with her.

Monday–Friday 3 PM–2 AM, Saturday–Sunday 11 AM–2 AM; 1113 Walnut St.; 215-923-1113

 

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