THROUGH THE (COCKTAIL) GLASS

D.L. Sivley shakes up drinks to shake up the world
 

Someone who considers himself a bar chef, experience curator and enthusiast apothecary might seem like a jack-of- all-trades. But D.L. Sivley, bartender at Field Brewing in Westfield, knows exactly who he is—and it only takes a few sips of his cocktails to find out.

DEALING IN MOMENTS
 

As a bartender trained in international cuisine, Sivley does more than make drinks with clever names. He curates cocktails rooted in global history and personal memory, making sure every drink tells a story.

“If you can connect to what you have in front of you, then you can appreciate it more and it makes for a better experience,” he says.

There’s plenty of wit in Sivley’s work, too. When he opened a bar for a Thai restaurant, he created a Genghis Khallins Punch, a riff on a Tom Collins and Tom Kha soup bursting with lemongrass, basil, lime and chili oil. The flavors also nod to the origins of punch, when British sailors would drink their rations of rum with lime to prevent scurvy and then add sugar or molasses to sweeten it.

The Genghis Khallins Punch also demonstrates Sivley’s fat-washing technique. Fat-washing involves mixing a liquid fat—think coconut oil or butter—with a room-temperature spirit and then freezing it. After skimming off the fat layer, the spirit retains a savory flavor.

“Fat-washing allows you to perceive flavor notes in the spirit that you couldn’t before. It brings out flavors and gives a rounder body on the tongue, which gives a better mouthfeel,” Sivley says.

The fat-washed coconut rum in his Genghis Khallins Punch does just that. The punch combines a classic cocktail with a nod to the past and international ingredients, representing Sivley’s perspective in one frosty punch bowl.

“My drinks are a little bit more than just what’s in the glass,” he says, humble for one of the United States Bartenders’ Guild’s Top 100 World-Class Bartenders in the U.S. “I deal in moments through the medium of drinks and food.”

THE PATH LESS TRAVELED
 

Sivley came to Indianapolis three years ago on an invitation to become the sous chef of a new restaurant. But after working seven days a week totaling up to 114 hours a week, he quickly found himself unhappy in his work—and his life.

He decided to take his love for food in a different direction, so he stopped cooking and started bartending. Sivley still uses his culinary skills when he prepares small bites that take bar snacks to a whole other level.

“Any time you go to a Korean restaurant, you can get fixings served in little garnish bowls. I incorporate my love for food and Asian culture into a culinary aspect for my drinks,” he says.

His latest creations are his candied key limes, made by dipping dehydrated key lime wheels into white chocolate flavored with matcha green tea and Asian candies. The tart and bitter key limes balance with the herbal matcha and sugary white chocolate for one fruity bite.

Sivley came up with his candied key limes while browsing fresh ingredients at his favorite international market.

For global inspiration, he visits Saraga International Grocery near Speedway northwest of downtown Indianapolis, where the smells of Asian noodles, chilled seafood and ripening mangos are enough to bask any foodie with culinary aromatherapy. “I’ve been all over the country and Saraga rivals many other markets,” Sivley says. “You can spend a whole afternoon there. I have before, many times.”

“I deal in moments through the medium of drinks and food.”—D.L. Sivley

D.L. Sively serving the Genghis Khallins Punch with the Matcha Candied Key Limes.

ELEVATE THE SPIRIT
 

With his global perspective, attention to detail and sentimental approach, Sivley might shift his guests’ perceptions of what cocktails and bartenders can be. But not everyone sees it that way.

“A fellow bartender once gave me a hard time about how you’re not going to change the world with drinks. And I may be a romantic or maybe just a little deluded, but I don’t think that’s the case. I think that you can change the world through drink,” he says.

He does have a mission of his own: to change the perception that people have to over-imbibe to have a good time. Sivley wants to encourage people to drink lower proofs, or lower alcohol by volume (ABV), in order to enjoy cocktails more.

His approach to cocktailing is to elevate spirits, not cover them up. What’s more, he elevates his guests’ spirits, too.

“My approach to life is deliberate. I don’t really want to be doing anything just to be doing it. That’s a waste of motion,” Sivley says. “So anytime I make a drink, I prefer to think about what I want to say.” And people are listening.