Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. is mixing things up a little this evening with guest bartender Freddie Sarkis, the self-taught pre-prohibition prodigy who put Pittsburgh’s Embury on the map. Sarkis will be behind the bar with Franklin’s Al Sotack for what he’s calling Dissociative Identity Disorder, or a “a ridiculous experiment in adaptability, virtuosity and mental illness.” For five hours the two will pay homage to five of the country’s most influential cocktail joints, which they identify as Milk & Honey, Rickhouse, The Violet Hour, Door 74 and Death & Co. (as if anyone will disagree). “Freddie and I are honored and excited to offer our own humble tribute to some of our favorite bars and bartenders,” Sotack told Grub Street. “What better sacrifice on the altar of our cocktail church then our own sanity?”
And once sanity is restored, Sotack and company will present “five old school ways to pimp out your favorite burnt wine,” with “Klassik Yak,” a cognac-focused Extra Credit session for November. Cognac cocktails include a classic interpretation of legendary NOLA bartender Walter Bergeron’s Vieux Carre, a Coffee Cocktail that the Franklin crew says will re-introduces egg to their repertoire. Other cocktails on offer are Sidecar (cognac, orange liqueur, fresh lemon juice, served up), Champs Elysees (cognac, Yellow Chartreuse, fresh lemon juice, Angostura bitters, served up) and Harvard (cognac, sweet vermouth, Demerara, Angostura bitters, soda, served up).
