photo: David Olsen
I caught up with intrepid mixologist Ciaran Wiese during his recent Saturday night shift behind the bar at 47 Scott, a fairly new restaurant in downtown Tucson on north Scott Avenue.
The 24-year-old Maryland native has spent the last decade between our charming barrio (where he graduated from Tucson High in 2004) and Brooklyn, NY. It was there he discovered his passion for the art of creating cocktails. He was working as a server and runner at Jack the Horse Tavern when he met his mentor in celebrated young alchemist, Damon Dyer.
“Before working with Damon, I never really thought about the science behind making cocktails,” says Wiese while mixing me a drink of his own creation. “It was the first time I saw a bartender using a culinary device.”
Wiese began to stoke his budding passion for the professional preparation of potions. He devoured drink manuals and, when he reached legal drinking age, soaked up cocktail culture at NY hotspots like Pegu Club and Death & Co. He researched the history of cocktails, elixirs and tonics. Most importantly, he developed a deft hand at squeezing fresh juices, expressing oils, shaking, stirring, swizzelling and pouring. In 2009 he moved back to Tucson, bringing serious bartending skills, a penchant for mortal & pestle, and the need for a job.
After bartending stints at popular eateries like Maynard’s and Barrio Food & Drink, things got really interesting when Wiese teamed up with 47 Scott’s owners Nicole Flowers and Travis Reese (both formerly of the B Line).
“They asked me to work with them to design a new bar next door. It’s going to have a speakeasy feel, and a real dedication to the cocktail. We’re shooting for a September opening.”
The new bar, Scott & Company, will offer a seasonal drink menu and house-made ingredients like bitters and syrups. Wiese also plans to age cocktails – “put prepared cocktails down to rest” in bottles and barrels.
“I’ve got a special drink planned for the opening: the Brickhouse Old Fashioned. It is bacon-infused rye, bitters, sugar and a huge ice cube.”
On trends in mixology: “Mezcal is growing in popularity like a weed, that’s a good thing though. It seems like there’s at least one bar in every city making their own bitters. Bitters are wonderful and necessary, but bitter making can get out of hand, so the simpler the better.”
Favorite spirit, period: Mezcal.
After his shift: “I like to go to the Red Room. I might partake in their vast selection of excellent beer and whiskey, but usually I’ll just grab a cold Carta Blanca and a shot of Mezcal.”
“I am first and foremost a bartender. As long as you pay attention
to details and providing an experience for your guest, then everything
falls into place.” 47 Scott is open Monday-Friday from 11am to bar close
and Saturday, 5pm until bar close. 47scott.com includes the lunch,
dinner and drink menus.
Ciaran’s Signature
Vagabond: A classic margarita with a twist. Containing tequila, muddled sage, agave nectar, fresh lime and orange bitters, the Vagabond captures the tart punch you want from your margie, without the acidity that may accompany a lesser concoction. In August, the drink won the Best Margarita award in the 1st Annual First Fridays Margarita Contest held at the Tucson Museum of Art.
100% Blue Agave Tequila Blanco 1 oz
Aquavite 1 oz (caraway flavored Scandanavian spirit)
Agave Nectar 3/4 oz
Fresh Lime Juice 3/4 oz
Fee’s Grapefruit Bitters 1 dash
Sage
Muddle the sage along with the Agave nectar, lime juice and bitters in a metal shaker. Add the Tequila and Aquavite. Add ice and shake. Strain through a fine strainer into a half salt rimmed cocktail glass. Garnish with a sage leaf.
