Featured Cocktail: Veruca Salt

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Found: Block and Grinder, 2935 Providence Road
Ingredients: Hendrick's Gin, homemade blueberry simple syrup, homemade sour mix, lavender bitters, mint for garnish.

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Block and Grinder boasts a farm-to-table concept focusing on seasonal, artisanal ingredients both in the kitchen and behind the bar. Beverage director Kyle Crabtree perfected the art of the craft cocktail while working at upscale eateries and bars like Soul Gastrolounge (where he worked as an opening consultant). He works to create balanced concoctions inspired by fine cuisine, using fresh herbs, quality liquors and hard-to-find essentials, such as Scrappy's aromatic, handcrafted bitters. "I'm a big fan of nouveau cocktails, but I like to give respect to the classics," Crabtree says. "They're classic for a reason."

Recently, Crabtree turned the craftsmanship over to home mixologists when Block and Grinder held its Summer Sip-Off contest, encouraging enthusiasts to submit original cocktail recipes to showcase in front of a panel of judges. Emily Pederson, whose husband also submitted his own cocktail recipe, created the aptly named sweet and sour cocktail Veruca Salt. The winning drink claimed a spot on the Block and Grinder cocktail list.