Saffron may be best known for chef/owner Sameh Wadi’s Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking, but it’s also a great place for a cocktail. Until recently, the bar was manned by Robb Jones, a celebrated bartender who’s recently left to pursue dreams of a perfect Cosmopolitan at the forthcoming Spoon and Stable.
Now behind the bar is Nikola Govich, who arrives from Eat Street Social and, prior to that, Meritage. Trained at Bradstreet Craftshouse with a background in New York City dive bars, his style is classy yet comfortable.
The Sophisticated Funk was created by Govich’s right hand, Nikki Schultz: an alluring mix of gin, Cardamaro (an Italian liqueur), Salers (a light, bitter liqueur), and aperitif wine, finished with Angostura bitters. The first sip begins bright and clean with a thread of sweetness that twirls around a curly lemon twist before settling into a light, low bitterness. It pairs beautifully with Wadi’s little lamb sausages in bright lemon sauce.
