18 May 23rd-May 29th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Major Mixology Meet Jesse Knox, the mastermind behind Huarachis’ exceptional cocktails. BY CASSIE BRUCCI J esse Knox, bar manager at Huarachis Taqueria, may not have known exactly what career path to pursue in his younger years, but he certainly knew what he didn’t want. “I was working a desk job and could tell early on that I couldn’t do this forever,” he recalls. After hearing a former colleague talk about his bartending days, Knox was intrigued. Soon after, he started his journey in the hospitality industry. He began as a food runner and worked his way up to bartending at local cocktail staples like Sidecar Social Club and Little Rituals. Rene Andrade, the James Beard Award-nominated chef behind Grand Avenue hotspot Bacanora, tapped Knox earlier this year to lead the beverage program at his latest concept, Huarachis. Opened in December 2023, the new spot is a casual, walk-in-only answer to the hard-to-reserve Bacanora. It allows customers to get a taste of the celebrated chef’s food without the wait. But while Andrade’s food might be the initial draw, Huarachis’ cocktails shine on their own. Knox seriously studies his craft, often experimenting with and tweaking recipes to get them just right. He hopes guests start thinking of Huarachis as more than a restaurant that serves alcohol. “I want people to come here and get drinks and then be like, ‘Oh, I’m hungry. Let’s get a taco,’” Knox says. After meeting through a mutual friend, Andrade became impressed with Knox’s ability to create delicious and aesthetically pleasing cocktails. After speaking further, Andrade knew he was the right person to elevate the drinks at Huarachis. “I look at bartending and cooking the same way,” Andrade says. “You have to understand the flavors and profiles of things, and Jesse gets that.” The current cocktail menu features eight drinks, primarily crafted with tequila, rum and mezcal. While nothing is off-limits, Knox aims to incorporate ingredients and spirits with some connection to Sonora, Mexico, to complement the delectable Sonoran recipes Andrade is famous for. Knox hopes to increase the total number of cocktails to “an even twelve” in the near future. He’s also aiming to refresh the menu every six months to incorporate seasonal produce. The fine art of crafting cocktails After working at Sidecar Social Club, Knox was ready to level up his cocktail knowledge. He took a job as a barback at Little Rituals, which eventually led to a bartender position. This experience proved to be invaluable to his career. “I had a wonderful mentor who was very knowledgeable and taught me a lot about how to approach cocktails in a different way,” Knox says. After years of working as a bartender, this is the first time Knox is in charge of creating an entire bar menu. He was ready to take on the challenge immediately. “I already had a bunch of cocktail recipes. I like to keep a notepad to jot down any ideas I get,” he says. One of the first recipes added to the menu was the Horchata Punch, a take on a clarified milk punch. Knox first created this drink at Little Rituals as a rotating special. When he landed at Huarachis, he knew it would be a perfect fit for the core lineup. Like traditional horchata, Knox starts by steeping rice and cinnamon in liquid (in this instance, a mix of Hennessy and house rum). To keep the drink vegan, he uses cream of coconut in place of condensed milk, boiling it for two hours to achieve a rich caramelization. To finish it off, he adds Licor 43 and chai before the clarification process begins. What results is a smooth, spiced drink that closely mimics the mouthfeel of a standard milk punch, sans dairy. For the rest of the menu, Knox landed on a mix of original creations and classic cocktails, with each drink incorporating some sort of special process to elevate the overall flavor profile. Take La Mariposa, a riff on a paloma, as an example. Originally creating the recipe with grapefruit Jarritos soda, he became unsatisfied by its lack of complexity. Rather than find a different type of soda, he took some creative liberties. After adding tequila, acid-adjusted grapefruit juice, cinnamon and salt to the Jarritos, he re-bottles the mixture to allow the entire solution to become efferves- cent. It’s served with half a lime to make the flavors in this light and refreshing cocktail pop. “The drink is simple, but the way he puts it together sets it apart,” Andrade says. There’s also Knox’s personal favorite, the De La Tierra, which translates to “from the earth.” Knox starts with a mushroom fat-washed bacanora, using oyster mush- rooms to mirror the main ingredient in the Fried Hongos taco. Once the bacanora is ready, he combines it with Rucolino, an Italian liqueur made from arugula leaves, and tarragon-infused sweet vermouth. The cocktail is poured over ice and served with an olive. The finished product is a slightly bitter yet earthy cocktail akin to a negroni, and fitting of its name. While Knox hesitates to call these cock- tails “high-end,” he acknowledges the above-average attention to detail that makes the drinks shine. “At the end of the day, we’re just trying to have fun. But we do think about it a little more than the average person,” he says. Evoking memories with each sip From his childhood, Knox recalls specific memories of his mother making aguas frescas at home, procuring and preparing fresh fruits to create homemade drinks for his family. While unaware at the time, these memories proved to be formative experi- ences for Knox. He notes that watching her inadvertently inspired his creativity around cocktails. “I joke that I’m pretty much doing the same thing, but the ingredients are just a little more expensive,” he says. Although Knox often uses upscale ingredients, he’s still conscious of incor- porating some things from his childhood whenever possible. “We make a cantaloupe fresca; it’s staying on the menu because it’s what my mom used to make,” he says. Through this experience, Knox has gained a better understanding of how drinks are a powerful conduit for nostalgia – both for him and the restau- rant’s guests. He’s observed multiple customers share their own stories of how certain cocktails have reminded them of their childhoods and he relishes each anecdote shared. “If you can bring a core memory to somebody when they eat or drink some- thing, it will stay in their memory forever,” he says. Huarachis Taqueria 814 N. Central Ave. After bartending at Sidecar Social Club and Little Rituals, Jesse Knox now leads the cocktail program at Huarachis Taqueria. He creates unique tipples such as the Horchata Punch and De La Tierra, made with a mushroom fat-washed bacanora, Rucolino and tarragon-infused sweet vermouth. (Photos by Cassie Brucci and Tirion Boan) ▼ Food & Drink
