2018 Best Cocktails in America: Rainbow Sangria

These 10 cocktails, representing leading bar trends, were selected by editors of Restaurant Hospitality to spotlight innovation. Read on and get inspired. See all the winners >> 

Where to find it: I|O Godfrey, Chicago

Price: $15

Creator: Nathaniel Cayer

Ingredients: Grey Goose Le Melon Vodka, Moscato, sauvignon blanc, fruit and floral purees

Trend: No-waste cocktails that make use of kitchen trimmings

Former executive chef Nathanial Cayer at the Godfrey Hotel had sustainability in mind when he first developed this cocktail for the rooftop bar that opened five years ago.

It has gone through various incarnations, but the goal is to make beautiful use of fruit scraps from other dishes on the menu, said Grant Gedemer, the hotel’s director of food and beverage. The tops of fruits like strawberries, for example, are turned into purees that are frozen into cubes.

The first version was white, but then bartenders began playing with colors that might be themed for the occasion, like red, white and blue around July 4, he said.

This latest version uses five fruit purees: strawberry, blackberries, honeydew, pineapple, cantaloupe along with one made of butterfly flower tea.

The mix of vodka, Moscato and a dry, crisp sauvignon blanc is poured over the cubes at the table. As the cubes melt in the glass, the cocktail changes color and flavor.

“It isn’t overly sweet and sugary. It’s got a nice balance between dryness and sweet,” said Gedemer.

“It’s always one of the top three of our chef cocktails, served either by the glass or by the pitcher,” he said. “Now we’re thinking of a wintery version, playing with white, purple and blue.”