White sangria in suspension, elBulli at the Aviary

Remember those elBulli cocktails that had a starring role at the Aviary party in January? It turns out they were just modest heralds for the spectacular creations that feature on the menu now.

White sangria in suspension, as the name suggests, is a sangria cocktail just slightly thickened so that each element – various fruits, cantaloupe “caviar”, mint – floats at a different level. The effect is striking, like stained glass, especially against the candlelight. The flavors are bright and well-balanced; the increased viscosity makes the drink seem velvety smooth.

Then there’s the pina colada, topped with a towering swirl of cotton candy that melts when pineapple juice is poured over it tableside. This whimsical introduction gave way to my discovery of encapsulated spheres of rum in the drink itself. I love the pop…pop…pop of those rum spheres, so surprising and fleeting.

Finally, we tried the coco-loco, which isn’t a drink so much as a dessert – a cracked coconut filled with scoops of a sort of creamy, frozen cocktail ice cream, more than enough to share. Based on the number of these I saw arriving at other tables, I have to think that Grant Achatz’s coconut supplier is the happiest he’s been since the days of the coconut dessert on the Thailand menu!

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