Cocktail of the Week: Barbaro’s “When Roy Gets Back”

Is there any better way to show your respect for a fellow bartender than by naming a cocktail in his honor? Barbaro's new cocktail menu features concoctions created by Steven Santillan, with one drink that does just that. Santillan, previously the manager at Hot Joy and Esquire Tavern, is the latest bar manager at the neighborhood pizza joint.

The recently launched menu features 10 new cocktails, including a kale cocktail and a milk punch on tap! One of the menu's highlights is the “When Roy Gets Back,” a combination of Espadin mezcal, sherry, Aperol, a grapefruit oleo, and a saline solution. The drink is a riff on an old favorite that used to be on the menu, Roy’s Hot Dog, named after San Antonio barman Roy Guerrero. Guerrero, a friend and fellow co-worker of Santillan, moved to San Diego last year.

According to Santillan, “The drink was intended to remind him that his San Antonio family misses him and he is always welcome back.”

Roy’s Hot Dog featured Campari, Cynar and mezcal, and was decidedly booze. In “When Roy Gets Back,” Santillan’s use of saline gives the cocktail depth, and hints at the cocktail culture hopefully shifting from sweet to savory ingredients.

The cocktail can be made with a beautiful flower grapefruit garnish upon request, though a single grapefruit rind is the more traditional accompaniment. The "When Roy Gets Back" is $10 during normal hours, or half off during happy hour, which runs from 3-6 p.m. daily.
Erin Winch writes about boozin' in the Alamo City on her blog Drinking In SA. Follow her on Instagram at @drinking.in.sa for more.