I've had the opportunity to try a decent amount of the cocktails on the Clemente Bar lounge menu as I've been there twice, once with my husband and once with a group of four. Overall, I think this is a fun way to experience Eleven Madison Park in a more casual, trendy setting and enjoy some exceptionally crafted mixology, though the drinks seemed realllllly small given the hefty price tag. (I know... it's inflation and it's Eleven Madison Park, but still, $25+ per drink is steep for a smallish pour.) Nevertheless, the drinks are all meticulously developed, and they're all pretty. Many of mine were served in rocks glasses with big, branded ice cubes with little wafers or other touches on top.
Here's what I ate and drank:
Avocado (sticky rice, finger lime, shiso): these little beauties comprise a spongy, tofu-like little boat filled with sticky rice and topped with avocado and finger lime, which I learned is a type of lime that looks just like caviar! The bites were topped off with a sort of sweet soy sauce flavoring. I liked them.
Agedashi dogg (fried tofu, black truffle, potato roll): my favorite bite of the night. The agedashi tofu, pickles, and truffle sprinkled on top make for a great flavor combo, but the truffle oil-toasted bread was actually the highlight of the dish for me. So good.
Thrice fried potatoes (rosemary, lemon, mayo): filling and economical, but these didn't do it for me otherwise. The mayo was a really heavy sauce for these already heavy fries made of super fried thick potato. I didn't notice any rosemary.
Army Brat (gin, yuzu sake, acidified papaya, cashew orgeat): pretty good, though I was confused because I thought it had a pretty strong sherry taste, and with the listed ingredients it wasn't apparent where that was coming from. But I saw the full list of ingredients and it does actually have sherry! So mystery solved, but I think it's such a dominant flavor that it should be included on the menu.
My favorite cocktail of the night was the Three Boxes (Bourbon, tahini, cardamaro, cacao, pandan). This is a very adult take on a Girl Scout cookie-- "adult" not just because of the alcohol but because the flavors are so sophisticated, complex, and delicate. The tahini notes are definitely present and give the drink an unexpected little kick, while there's some bitterness from the amaro. This has to be modeled after the Samoa given the little coconut-flavored meringue-like wafer.
I also tried a few sips of the Koji Cafe (aged rum, raspberry eau de vie, coffee, koji cream). It was good, but honestly a little underwhelming. It sort of tasted like a raspberry espresso with some cream on top.
And from my second visit:
5th Leaf (Pisco, pear brandy, smoked sunchoke, shiso): I thought this was very nice. Fruity and floral.
Negroni colada (coconut rum, bitter Bianca, blanc vermouth, pineapple): another strong favorite-of-the bunch contender, this one had a lot of complex flavors that somehow worked together really well. Coconut, cacao, tropical fruits, and a bitter backbone. read more