Fall cocktails at Columbia's Barred Owl revolve around warm spices, seasonal fruit

Change forms a satisfying constant at Barred Owl Butcher and Table.

As each season turns, its staff responds with innovation, folding timely flavors into its dining menu and array of options behind the bar.

This fall, the restaurant — at the city's downtown edge, in the shadow of Columbia Public Library — approaches its cocktail menu through time-honored tradition. Barred Owl enjoys the harvest right here, right now and stocks away the season's tastes for days that are rainier, sunnier or sit beneath almost any weather.

"As we go through the seasons, our menu evolves with it. You’ll see stuff go on the menu," assistant general manager Andrew Ruth said.

"And then we do stuff behind the bar called shrubs, which are very cool because it allows us to make seasonal drinks but then serve them out of season because their shelf life is indefinite. We love serving summer-flavored stuff in the winter and winter-flavored stuff in the summer."

Let warm spices lead the way

A blend of tastes unlock perfect autumn flavors at Barred Owl.

"The first thing you think of is warm spices," Ruth said. "We play with them all year, but really come fall we start playing" with the likes of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger, cardamom and vanilla bean.

While technically not on the menu, Barred Owl staff starts each fall week by creating a bountiful batch of warm spiced cider, Ruth said, selling the drink while supplies last. This allows a natural union of these spices with fruits that show up and show off each autumn.

The cider also creates alcoholic and non-alcoholic possibilities; it mixes seamlessly with the likes of bourbon and brandy, Ruth said, or stands alone for the youngest Barred Owl diners and others who might not wish to consume spirits.

Sweater Weather — a drink and a state of mind

Taking its name from a "Saturday Night Live" catchphrase uttered by Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph, Barred Owl's Sweater Weather brings a favorite style into the fullness of fall.

"This is basically just a daiquiri — but it’s a fancy daiquiri," Ruth said.

Two varieties of rum, which naturally deliver warm and dark notes, meet Barred Owl's falling leaf liqueur — "It’s literally the same spices that goes in the apple cider, we make this liqueur with," Ruth said.

Lime juice, Demerara sugar and Tiki bitters — which give off an allspice profile — complete the drink, which is garnished with torch-charred rosemary. The rosemary's aromatics greet patrons as they lift the drink toward their mouths, Ruth said, and accent the drink's "bright and tart" appeal.

For a full experience, Ruth recommends pairing a Sweater Weather with a dish like Barred Owl's fried gnudi, which surrounds cheese dumplings with pumpkin brown butter cream, roasted pumpkin seeds, pickled shallot, elderberry gastrique and fried sage.

When considering any food-drink pairing, acid is a key consideration, Ruth said. Does the drink either add acid to the palate or use its acidity to cut the richness of the dish? In this case, Sweater Weather provides the sumptuous dish perfect company.

Drinking from the Orchard of the Gods

When you think fall fruit in a cocktail, Barred Owl wants you to think — and drink — the Orchard of the Gods. Revolving around applejack, a barrel-aged spirit derived from the apple's juices, the drink incorporates pear and apricot liqueurs as well as rosemary and thyme syrup, lemon juice and cassis noir.

That final ingredient, a blackcurrant liqueur, brings color, fruitiness and a depth of flavor to the drink, Ruth said.

This fall sour pairs well with braised meats and other dishes that reach for rosemary, he added.

Fall beers on tap

For those who prefer to complement their meal with a pint, Barred Owl offers a number of beers styled for the season. When it comes to bottles and cans, Ruth clapped his hands — so to speak — for a pair of local brews: Logboat Brewing Co.'s Mamoot, an English mild the brewery calls "brown ale's laid-back little brother" (4% ABV), and its Dark Matter Porter (6.6% ABV).

Just a little farther down the road, KC Bier Co.'s Dunkel (5.1% ABV) pours from the Barred Owl tap, delivering on roasted and nutty flavors which fit the fall, Ruth said.

The shrub's the thing

Shrubs, essentially a fruit or vegetable syrup, allows bar staff great flexibility in and out of season, Ruth said.

Sort of the barroom equivalent of canning, shrubs combine natural preservatives vinegar and sugar with whatever's coming from the garden or farm, allowing the shrub to mature and "develop more complexity" with time, he added.

Shrubs blend well with spirits and soda, but can also come minus the alcohol, offering yet another non-alcoholic option, Ruth said.

Bar manager Frances Harvey affords bartenders a great degree of freedom to create drinks with what's on hand, Ruth said. Working in relationship with farmers they know and trust, Barred Owl staff often won't know what fruits or vegetables are coming through the door — but they're ready to make something from them, he added.

That might look and taste, as it did recently, like a spiced apple shrub or something entirely different.

The value placed on small but meaningful innovations like shrubs reflects expectations Barred Owl has set since opening. For one, their menu never uses words like "housemade," Ruth said. If they source an ingredient elsewhere, the menu notes this; otherwise, patrons should assume everything passing their lips was created in-house.

Barred Owl's seasonal rotation fits the same standard.

"We want people that come to Barred Owl to just know that they’re getting stuff that’s been sourced from as close to home as possible. And we believe that’s good for everyone around us," Ruth said.

After all, those seasonal accents affect the word Ruth and his co-workers care about most: taste.

"You can taste the difference," he said.

For a fuller look at the Barred Owl menu, and for restaurant hours, visit https://www.barredowlbutcher.com/.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter @aarikdanielsen.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Fall cocktails at Barred Owl feature warm spices, seasonal fruit