When Tamer Hamawi first started experimenting with a cucumber cocktail at Colonie, the first of the three Brooklyn eateries he co-owns and plays bartender at, it didn't take long before "there was a bright green drink on every table," he says.
Heartened by its popularity, Hamawi kept the veggie-laced booze trend
going behind the bar at Gran Electrica in the form of a beet margarita, and
now at Governor, his latest venture in DUMBO, where he is besotted with carrots grown at Satur Farms on the North Fork.
Hamawi juices the naturally sweet root vegetable to order on most nights -- during the weekend crush it's batched just before showtime -- and melds it with resposado Tequila, Cointreau, fresh (obviously) lime juice, and agave nectar to create the 20/20 Margarita. Here, the nectar found in traditional margaritas is heightened by a thrilling, tingly ginger infusion. Says Hamawi, "I wanted to give it a bit of heat without chilies. If you think about it, ginger and carrot go really well together at the juice bar."
Since you won't be reaching for a Tequila-spiked concoction at, say, a juice bar like Liquiteria anytime soon, the 20/20 Margarita not only sates, but leaves you feeling just a tad healthier. As the cocktail's name implies, Hamawi jokes, "The more you drink, the better you see."
Governor
Photo by Noah Fecks
