The James Beard-nominated chef Jonathon Sawyer continues to push the envelope at his flagship restaurant The Greenhouse Tavern. His latest gambit: a wine-on-draft system. Filled through the Gotham Project, the draft wine system is just one more way the Greenhouse is staying "green."
"A restaurant is a living, breathing thing," says Sawyer. "And owning a restaurant you can't sit on your laurels. Two of the taps will include bio-dynamic organic wines from local filling stations to reduce the carbon footprint."
Kegged wines swap cumbersome glass bottles for small reusable kegs, which also keep the wine fresh until the last glass is poured. One keg used for wine over its lifetime will eliminate the use of 3,000 glass bottles, only a small percentage of which would ever be recycled.
The taps will begin pouring a pinot noir from Washington State, a sauvignon blanc from California, a French rose, and other spots for rotating selections.
As for the remaining taps: One will be dedicated to a signature cocktail. "It's our version of a Vodka Collins on tap called a Wine Country Collins, and it's made with red wine, OYO vodka and pickled grapes," says Sawyer.
Another handle will pour a rotating barrel-aged cocktail, starting with GHT's version of a Manhattan. The final tap will be reserved for house-made club soda. "We are using the traditional recipe for seltzer dating back to its origins in Selters, Germany," Sawyer adds.
The wine will be flowing as early as tonight, but the rest of the beverages on tap will not be ready for another week or so. Something tells us these handles will be getting a work out.
