Autumn Eytalis, a bartender at Asian barbecue restaurant BellyQ, learned what bonito flakes were a week before Adam Kamin of the Delta challenged her to create a cocktail with them, she says. Coincidentally, she’d ordered brussels sprouts that were served with bonito flakes on top. “They were dancing,” she says. “I was like, what is this weird thing?” Bonito flakes, made from smoked skipjack tuna that’s fermented and dried in the sun for several months, are sliced so thinly that the steam from hot dishes makes them curl and sway, appearing to dance of their own accord.
Who’s next: Eytalis has challenged Sam Ruppert of DryHop Brewers to create a cocktail with hops.
