Challenged by Big Star bartender Cayce Key to make a cocktail with tahini, Charlie Schott of Parson’s Chicken & Fish initially tried taking his inspiration from the ingredient’s Middle Eastern roots. Because he’s usually had the sesame paste in baba ghanoush and hummus, he was going to pair it with lemon juice, but said the two flavors didn’t mesh well. “Tahini by itself dries out your mouth,” he said, “like a brown paper towel”—and that didn’t work with the acidity of the lemon.
Kareemy Abdul Jabbartender
