Get Your Drinking Pearls On

Imagine visiting your favorite summer drinking spot and discovering a pearl in your cocktail. Not the Mikimoto variety or even the big baubbly freshwaters. These are Cointreau Pearls, made specifically to be enjoyed in, or aside, a cocktail. Only the most discerning bartenders are incorporating Cointreau Pearls on their cocktail menus, and now you can experience them at Phao Thai Kitchen one of the most sought after locations in Sag Harbor. Using the sophisticated Cointreau Spherification kit, specially designed for use behind the bar, Derek Neilson, Phao Thai Kitchen's chief of cocktails is putting a spin on his menu with the addition of The Shinju, $25. already a favorite with Hamptonites this summer. The Cointreau Spherification kit comes complete with beakers, scales, and a magnetic wand, and turns Cointreau the liquid into these solid-like pearls. It is a process to behold.