Noyo Harbor Inn Bitters
In-House Elixirs Make Mixology Magic
by Holly Madrigal
Laura mixing a Lilac Empress
The lounge area at Noyo Harbor Inn is filled with warmth, Art Deco walls surrounding an intimate bar that keeps the fog at bay. The sounds of the harbor are dimmed by noises of laughter and tinkling china from the dining room, and the drinks that come forth are a cut above. Bar manager, Laura Spradlin, has let her creativity shape the unique drinks served here, and the public has taken notice.
Laura has developed a line of specialty bitters for the Noyo Harbor Inn. “Bitters are an aromatic flavoring agent made by infusing roots, bark, fruit peeling, seeds, spices, herbs, flowers, and botanicals—all steeped in high-proof alcohol. Bitters are used to heighten taste. They help balance out cocktails, making them more complex, giving them a more complete flavor profile that adds depth and character, “ she shares.
Laura continues, “Serious bar programs these days are now listing house made bitters on their menu. Bitters go back for centuries, originally used medicinally to cure many ailments.” While creating her bitters, she selects ingredients that she feels will enhance the seasonal cocktails showcased on the menu. Like a composer or artist, she combines the notes to create a symphony of taste and smell.
Completely self-taught, Laura spent 30 years at the Albion River Inn developing her mixology craft. When she became the bar manager at Noyo Harbor Inn, her focus on unique seasonal flavors fit right in with the high-quality yet approachable fine dining offerings coming from the kitchen. As the cocktail movement has progressed in recent years, Laura has learned and adapted her drinks. She notes, “We have a Dirty Chai Martini and we have an Espresso Martini that both use our Coffee Pecan Bitters,” which she creates by combining Elijah Craig Bourbon and organic locally roasted coffee beans from Thanksgiving Coffee, adding different kinds of roots that bring out the bitter element. “They are so concentrated that you only need a few drops. It will transform your cocktail and make it truly unique and authentic.“
As a mixologist, Laura has elevated the bar menu at Noyo Harbor Inn. One year, she wanted to make a special spring offering for Mother’s Day. She decided to create a Lilac Martini called “Lilac Empress,” using Empress 1908 Purple gin. The color of this particular gin is truly beautiful, and Laura created a house-made Lilac Liqueur and house-made bitters to compose this gorgeous drink. “I reached out to everyone I knew to harvest the teeny edible purple blooms from their yards,” Laura remembers. “I drove around town in my car looking for lilac bushes and knocking on doors trying to obtain enough to create my concoctions. Lilacs only appear for a few weeks in March and they fade fast.“ The floral smell in the kitchen must have been intoxicating, and the resulting purple drink topped with dried lilacs was a huge success.
Laura also wanted to bring the house Bloody Mary up a notch. She created a bitters addition with a mixture of various hot peppers, chiles, limes, molasses, barks, and herbs steeped and infused with high grain alcohol for several weeks. “I was originally going to use ghost peppers but I didn’t want heat to overwhelm the drink. Balance and nuance are very important,” adds Laura. She also infuses her vodka with herbs to give added depth of flavor to the end result. “Customers tell me this is the best Bloody Mary they have ever had.”
One of her signature drinks is the seasonal Candy Cap Old Fashioned, which has bitters made with special mushrooms naturally foraged on the Mendocino Coast. Describing the flavor of the Candy Cap is challenging—it makes me think of apple pie spices, maple syrup, and vanilla. (There is good reason that Candy Cap mushroom ice cream is one of the favorites at Cowlicks scoop shop in town.) Laura added to that flavor some black walnut and gentian, which tastes almost like a nocino. The addition of bitters raises the humble Old Fashioned to something sublime.
These flavor additions are not only restricted to alcoholic beverages. Laura has elevated the coffee bar as well. The Vanilla Rose latte, for example, uses a simple syrup that has been infused with rose petals from the Noyo Harbor Inn kitchen garden. “What we are trying to do here is to show nuance and layers of balance when building a drink,“ Laura smiles. You can let your inner mixologist out to play by purchasing a selection of the bitters for sale in the inn’s lobby to elevate your home-made concoctions. Or, just stop by the cozy bar above Noyo Harbor and have her mix one for you.
HarborView Bistro & Bar at Noyo Harbor Inn
500 Casa Del Noyo, Fort Bragg
707-961-8000 | noyoharborinn.com
Breakfast/lunch Wed - Mon 9am - 2pm
Happy Hour 2pm – 5:30pm (food at 3pm)
Photos by Brendan McGuigan, courtesy of Noyo Harbor Inn.