Jon Harris, the bar manager at Zentan, was developing a new cocktail with black sesame syrup when he realized something was off. “It ended up this weird gray color, so I added activated charcoal to make it black,” Harris says. In addition to giving cocktails a mysterious look, this flavorless supplement makes for a surprise. “It doesn’t say on the menu that the cocktails are black, so most people are bewildered when it comes.” Try one of the two currently available.
Black Eye $13
You wouldn’t know it to look at it, but this cocktail (made with gin, sake, lemon juice, black sesame syrup, strawberry essence and a pinch of activated charcoal) is refreshingly light. “The black is a contrast to what’s in the glass,” Harris says. “It’s a very Asian-style drink: You have your sweet and sour and your bitter.” It’s garnished with purple orchids, which alludes to the fact that the drink is on the more delicate side.
Zentan, 1155 14th St. NW; 202-379-4366, zentanrestaurant.com.
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