Leanne Favre is partner and beverage director at Dolores, a newly opened Mexico City-inspired cocktail bar and cantina in Brooklyn, NY.
What was your first job in the beverage or hospitality industry?
My very first job was at a pizza and beer tavern in St. Petersburg, Florida, when I was just 18. From there, I moved to New York City and I started working as a barista by day and a bartender at night in Sunnyside, Queens.
What is your favorite spirit to work with at the moment?
I love working with tequila. It provides a wonderful platform for all types of flavor profiles, from tropical to savory.
What is the focus or specialty of the beverage program at Dolores?
The focus of the beverage program at Dolores is to incorporate Mexican flavors and ingredients, putting a unique spin on classic cocktails and offering an adventurous yet approachable menu.
What drinks do you see guests enjoying or asking for these days?
Lately, I’ve seen guests returning to the classics. Our house Margarita and Paloma are the best-selling cocktails. Of course, we give them a slight twist that makes them stand out, but at the end of the day, they represent the original cocktail.
What’s your current go-to cocktail or beverage?
I’m a Margarita girl through and through, but it has to be made with Cointreau. I respect people’s preference for a Tommy’s Margarita, but I am not on that bandwagon!
You have competed in several cocktail competitions; what advice would you give people thinking of entering one?
My first piece of advice is just to enter! Every competition you don’t enter, you’re guaranteed not to win. Everyone needs to start somewhere, and I’ve seen a lot of bartenders pass on opportunities because they didn’t think their drink was good enough or that they didn’t have enough experience. You never know until you try!
Would you share a recipe for one of the most popular at your bar, or one of your favorite drinks?
Here’s one for the Salida del Sol.
Salida del Sol
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz. ElVelo blanco tequila
- 2 oz. Orange cordial*
- 1 oz. Valentina passion fruit bitter**
- Fresh mint
Instructions
- Pour Valentina passion fruit bitter into a bodega beer glass.
- Fill glass with crushed ice.
- Add tequila, then orange cordial.
- Garnish with mint sprig and orange wheel.
Notes
4 cup Fresh orange juice
½ cup Sugar
1 tsp. Citric acid
Strain through nut milk bag. **For Valentina passion fruit bitter
2 parts Passion fruit syrup
2 parts Aperol or Meletti Bitter Aperitivo
1 part Valentina hot sauce
Combine then strain through nut milk bag. Leanne Favre, partner and beverage director at Dolores in Brooklyn, NY, created this recipe.
