Portland's Ox Serves a Foie Gras-Topped Cocktail

Here is a foie gras cocktail, straight from chef/owners Greg and Gabrielle Denton of essential Portland restaurant Ox. Created by bartender Bryan Tamayo, the cocktail is made with Laird's Apple Brandy, Elijah Craig 12 Year Old Bourbon, lemon juice, ginger syrup, pureed strawberry and rhubarb preserves, egg white, lemon bitters, and a pinch of pepper. Topping the whole thing off is shaved frozen foie gras terrine. It's fittingly called "Foie the Hell of It" and costs $13.

Eater spoke with Gabi Denton and Bryan Tamayo about the cocktail. Tamayo says he was inspired by a foie gras garnish he had at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas and started tinkering. Denton says the cocktail was a natural fit with the restaurant's terrine, which is made with brandy, bourbon, and a touch of maple syrup. The cocktail was added to the menu earlier this month and for now Ox is planning on keeping the cocktail for the foreseeable future, rotating the fruit component seasonally.

"It's delicious," says Tamayo. "It sounds weird, but people seem to love it. And what better restaurant than Ox to have a drink like this." This isn't the first unexpected meat creation from the Argentine-inspired restaurant. Back in 2012, Ox served "meat cereal" at Feast Portland, a dish of "corn flakes made of maple-coated bacon, served with a smoked berry marshmallow and hazelnut-infused milk."

UPDATE 3/27: Per Gabrielle Denton, the drink has gone up to $15: "We upped the portion of the foie gras shavings."

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