THE FACTORY KITCHEN
NOW SERVING NEW SPRING SPIRITS

The opening of The Factory Kitchen, a wonderful and authentic Italian Trattoria, was a foodie highlight last year. My dinner there was so good that I included it among my Top 5 meals of 2013. And now, the cocktails are beginning to match the quality of the cuisine.

During my first visit last year, I wasn’t won over by the drinks, and instead opted to bring my own wine since they charge just a nominal corkage fee, although you can always trust Francine Diamond-Ferdinandi, the Director of Wine at The Factory Kitchen. But now, the cocktail program, run by Jason Chapel, has really upped its game.

Using fresh ingredients such as Persian cucumber, basil, lemon and orange, the new menu of cocktails better complement the delicate Italian cuisine. 

The new hand-crafted cocktails include The San Babila, which features lime, Dolin dry vermouth, Campari and simple syrup with a splash of soda. It’s very refreshing.

The Capone, a nice blend of lime, agave nectar, Persian cucumber, basil and Genever, goes down very easy. I love its smoothness.

A great aperitif is the Yosemite Sam, made with lemon, Aperol, Amaro Nomino and Rye served with a twist of lemon. This drink is Jason Chapel’s take on a Paper Plane (made with bourbon, Nonino—a bittersweet Italian liqueur, Aperol, and fresh lemon juice) is a drink created by Manhattan bartender Sam Ross, which he named after the MIA song “Paper Planes.”

The last of the new Spring cocktails is the Smoke & Honey, a nice blend of Centanario Añejo tequila, lemon and honey. You might think this would be a potent drink, but it’s well balanced and really good as a drink to take your time with.

It’s nice to see a place like The Factory Kitchen, which offers some of the best Italian fare in town, can still manage to make improvements, in this case its bar program, which highlights artisanal cocktails by focusing on texture, subtle acidity and simplicity. The 30-seat bar area at The Factory Kitchen is a lively, yet refined setting.

The Factory Kitchen is located at 1300 Factory Place. Call (213) 996-6000.