Mangoes and margaritas

Mellow yellow: Grilled mango gives this drink a bright canary color.

The Junction opened down the street from the Magnetic Field in 2011, creating a corridor of excellent craft cocktails on Depot Street ,where there was little more to drink before but beer. 

The restaurant and bar has simultaneously developed the menu in both the kitchen (courtesy of Camp Boswell) and the bar (most recently courtesy of new bar manager Jason Crosby) into something of quality that draws visitors from Asheville and beyond into the RAD.

Crosby joined the team just this spring, taking over for original bar manager Sharon Wallace. Crosby says that he intends to elevate the bar program even further than his predecessor, whose reputation as a great bartender is well-known. "My goal is, in [a given] amount of time, to be the the best," Crosby says.

Though Crosby is a fan of the classics, he developed a taste for drinks with a tropical edge to them while working at a Brazilian steak house. Don't think Malibu Rum-spiked concoctions with umbrellas, but rather grilled fruit, quality rums, agave and spices. "I'm a huge fan of drinks from warm climates," Crosby says. "Margaritas are huge for me — they're either great or bad, and there's very little in between."

To that end, Crosby has added two distinct margaritas to the Junction's drink menu: The Homegrown with local rosemary and Hellfire bitters and the Deja Vu with fresh watermelon and local lemon balm. He's added a number of ingredients to the menu — distinctive bitters, shrubs and liqueurs — with the intention of striking balance with his drinks

"One thing that I try to achieve is that a drink is supposed to hit on three senses," says Crosby. "It should have great aromatics, it should be visually stunning as well, and I try to offer complexity with the drinks."

Crosby has provided a recipe for the Backwoodsman, the visually attractive, aromatic and flavorful drink that he made for the owners of the Junction, Charles and Tanya Triber, when he was interviewing for the bartending position. "I guess they liked it," he laughs.

Backwoodsman

Mango puree:
1 mango
1 cup mango juice
Slice a peeled mango in half and grill each side on high until caramelized. Puree mango with the juice.

In a large rocks glass:

1 3/4 ounce of cachaca
1/3 oz pure ginger juice (Can be found at Greenlife)
2 wedges of lime, squeezed or muddled and left in glass
1 oz simple syrup
Mango puree
Splash club soda

Garnish with lime zest

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Webmaster
Mountain Xpress Webmaster Follow me @MXWebTeam

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “Mangoes and margaritas

  1. Rosina Everitte

    Way to go, Jay-Jay!!! So very proud of you, bro. You will have to make that for your sis, sometime! Everyone else gets the pleasure but me!

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.