Recreate Eckhaus Latta’s Activated Charcoal Cocktail

A fashion week cocktail can offer an instant lift to the spirits and at Eckhaus Latta’s A/W18 show this week, mixologist Arley Marks offered just the tonic. Since the brand’s inception in 2011, Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta have nurtured a creative community – the Eckhaus Latta family – teeming with artists, foodies and musicians, many of which walk in the brand’s intimate and artful shows and appear in its campaigns. Marks, the creator of bar menus at New York hotspots like Mission Chinese, Dimes and his own Bushwick bar, Honey’s, is just one of the Eckhaus Latta tribe, which comprises names like Dev Hynes, Jane Moseley, India Salvör Menuez and Hari Nef. “I’ve been doing cocktails for Eckhaus Latta since their very first show,” he tells AnOther. “And I always take a moment to peek at the collection and take inspiration from the colours, patterns and knits.”

The A/W18 showcase, with its caressing silhouettes and loose, supple knits, saw the duo’s guests quaffing this activated charcoal cocktail which harnessed a mix of boutique alcohol brands including Yola Mezcal – produced in Oaxaca, Mexico at Yola Jimenez’ (another member of the Eckhaus Latta clan) family distillery and favoured by Marks for its “grassiness and earthiness”. A local homemade bitters crafted by Brooklyn-based Forthave Spirits was another star ingredient. Though renowned for its health and detoxing benefits, Marks included activated charcoal simply for its hue: “I wanted to make a contrast for the garnishes that were wild and colourful,” he explains. “Just as the knits in the collection contrast to the cut-and-sew garments. Another reason was to hide any sort of clues as to what the drink was made of, I wanted it to be a complete surprise.” Here, he offers us the how-to... 

Ingredients:

30ml Yola Mezcal
45ml Cocchi Dopo Teatro
150ml Forthave Spirits Red bitters
1 small pinch activated charcoal powder
30 ml citrus juice: a mix of bergamot, meyer lemon and lime (reserve pulp for garnish)

Method:

Shake well and serve over large ice cubes

Garnish with:

Dehydrated red d’Anjou pear leather, and citrus pulp
Dust with hibiscus powder and turmeric powder
Use bucatini as straw
If serving to large crowd, be sure to use bio-plastic cups