940 Fall Drink Menu: Sins and Redemption
It's time to start sinning as seven deadly sins will soon be available for your experiences at 940’s Kitchen and Cocktails at 219 W Oak St in Denton, Texas.
“So for this season - for fall - we have decided to come up with the seven deadly sins,” 940’s bartender Val Abril said “Each drink will represent one of the sins”
Abril said are going to try to do a contest if you go through the seven deadly sins then you get a shot of redemption—which is literally gonna be a shot called redemption.
“The first day we release the drinks is the 27th and that weekend thru Halloween we are also going to have a costume contest for Halloween,” Adam Wiley, bar manager said, “The top three winners will get a gift card.”
Going through pride, wrath, envy, greed, sloth, gluttony and lust is what it takes to redeem yourself with a shot of redemption glittering in refreshment.
Pride
The Seven Sins starts with a single drink called pride at 940’s with pecan infused whiskey and amaro.
Abril said that Adam set the foundation for the drink and the rest of the staff built off it.
“Adam wanted it to be a bold pecan so it has a really bold flavor,” Abril said
Having bold caramel pecan tastes the drink is garnished with campfire style roasted marshmallows on a stick that sits atop the drinks delicious tastes.
“I really, really like this drink,” Abril said, “We’re all really proud of the cocktails and excited about them.”
“You’re gonna see very bold flavors,” Abril said, “This is a very proud, bold drink.”
This drink isn’t just some caramel pecan flavored taste. It is a bold pecan that tastes are prideful.
It is a deep pleasure of a drink with a sense of satisfaction after drinking.
Wrath
The burning flavor of wrath is among you with a drink that offers just the right amount of heat.
“That one (Wrath) is gonna be a little bit spicier,” Abril said, “It looks really sweet and unassuming but it is got a little bit of a kick to it.”
Wrath is a drink that has habanero infused rum, pomegranate syrup, and a special oat liquor.
“We made an oat liqueur with vodka, brandy, and just a couple of other spices,” Abril said, “We put that in there so it gives it a little bit of a creaminess that takes away from the spiciness that comes from the habanero.”
Wiley said that to make this drink oats are soaked for weeks. They add a bit of brown sugar and a little bit of lemon juice.
“It is a well-balanced drink that almost seems sweet but it is not,” Abril said, “Like wrath it seeps through and warms you up a little bit. Especially during the fall month.”
“The color and the mixture of heat was kind of our idea behind wrath,” Wiley said, “Not an overbearing heat and not something you can’t handle by any means.”
Wrath isn’t just a drink, it is a sweet unassuming looking drink that can seep through some heat to enlighten your tastes with a little spice of flavor.
Envy
Envy is a drink to long for with honey pear infused vodka, hints of lemon, simple syrup and a foamy top that is created through egg white.
This is a drink you can desire to have as the top foams with a beauty that a pear garnish floats atop on the drink.
The drinks created at 940 are created as a collaborative effort through the staff. The staff meets together on Sundays to have a discussion of ideas.
“I’m in school right now so this gives me a really great creative output,” Abril said, “We’re trying to say—hey you’re human. You’re having a drink. It is not the end of the world. Everyone sins—everyone does it.”
The seven deadly sins is a project the staff at 940 worked hard on. Each drink was thought of based on the word associated with each of the deadly sins.
Greed
The colors of the drink can be associated with greed, the brown/greenish hue as the tints deliver pineapple cinnamon smoky flavors.
The drink has a spritz rinse with brimstone balcone on the glass for a smoky taste similar to a Texas BBQ smoke sort of taste. Drambuie and Cayenne tastes are to be enjoyed in flavor as a dried pineapple garnishes the glass.
If you’re feeling greedy and wanting something for yourself this drink may be for you. Pineapple cinnamon tastes with smoky flavors. This is something to get greedy about.
Sloth
Waking up to cold air can be hard on the morning. It can create a laziness when you are under the covers to avoid the cold and just not getting around. This brings the next sin of sloth.
With sloth the staff created a warm drink for the stomach. It is a lemon basil honey syrup that is relaxing in flavor.
“This is a earl grey hotter based drink with a lemon basil honey syrup, honey wine and is a drink that is relaxing you,” Wiley said, “It puts you in this almost lazy mood.”
The drink is garnished with a tea cookie of lemon and orange citrus. The drink is warm to the stomach and relaxing in tastes.
“It is a hot, good sipping drink and that is why we went sloth on this one,” Wiley said
If you’re feeling just tired and you’re lugging to get around then this drink may be for you. It isn’t always easy to get around and the sloth drink may be what you have before finding the motivation to try to get a shot of redemption.
Gluttony
Sinning in gluttony is easy and 940 just made it easier by putting gluttony on the menu.
“So we made our own horchata, add a little bit of carrot in there, and that is what gives it the really, really orange look,” Wiley said, “We have some agave and a plum brandy.”
Wiley said that the drink was chosen as gluttony because it is almost creamy and has a gluttonous feel to it. Also Wiley said that orange is commonly associated with gluttony.
Wiley said the drink has chili stirrings that in tequila with cinnamon as part of the drink mixture. The drinks finishing touch is a unique purple carrot garnish to complement the carrot color and the garnish is so unique it almost looks like a amethyst geode in color.
It looks like a thick drink and delivers scrumptious tastes as you delve into the sin of gluttony 940 style .
Lust
This is it, the end of your sinful journey before redemption. You are on lust, a really purple drink.
With a cort base of Amaretto the deep purple drink has hints of Luxado cherry juice garnished with chocolate curl.
“The thought behind this is the deep purple color that is commonly associated with lust,” Wiley said, “Very desserty fruity drink that I feel people will lust after.”
This isn’t just a drink, this is the end of a sinful journey of pride, wrath, envy, greed, sloth, gluttony and lust. This is the end of sin before a shot of redemption. This is deep purple in color and extreme tastes of flavor. Plus, the chocolate curl is great for any sinful journey.
Redemption
Drinking a shot of redemption is a refreshment from the sinful journey 940 style. Shots are not always easy to come by in life but after seven sins you have the opportunity for one.
The shot of redemption consists of aquavit liquor, a little bit of gin, some orange blossom made at 940 and cucumber water.
“Really light and really refreshing” Wiley said, “You have committed yourself to the seven sins and now you have your redemption.”
Wiley said that there is an uplifting kind of thought with it and that the dust particles in the shot is a gold dust.
You’ve been redeemed from seven sins with the shot of redemption. It is light and refreshing and is a breeze of refreshment in tastes. This isn’t just a shot, this is your shot...of redemption.
Making drinks special
The staff at 940’s worked hard at the seven deadly sins. Each drink was made to fit the word associated with the sin.
“Awhile ago we were talking about what we want to be the new theme of the cocktail menu, our last was Terrell cards,” Wiley said, “So we usually do things that come in pairs of seven or eight drinks so we were thinking what comes in groups of seven? Then I believe it was Val who was like why don’t we do the seven deadly sins?”
So they did it. The 940’s staff made seven drinks for seven deadly sins. The drinks were crafted to each be unique from one another in color and taste.
“I think this is one of the first times that we have built drinks by their name.” Wiley said, “We knew what the names were going to be so we built drinks to fit that but still have really good fall flavors.”
The staff is collaborative. The staff works together on the drinks. No drink is solely one person's doing.
“Anything on our season menu—I would be surprised if you find anything like it anywhere else because this is one hundred percent a creation of our own,” Wiley said, “So it is like a really really unique drinking experience.”
For more info 940's Kitchen and Cocktails visit their Facebook page.
Photos by Robert Warren
Header image by Christopher Rodgers