\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you get when you cross an elephant and a rhino?\u201d asks Jakob McCabe-Johnston, one of Punch\u2019s <\/span>Best New Bartenders of 2026<\/span><\/a>, who works at Atlanta\u2019s <\/span>Kimball House<\/span><\/a>. The answer? \u201cElephino.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The joke, a play on \u201c<\/span>Hell if I know,\u201d <\/span><\/i>is the namesake for McCabe-Johnston\u2019s <\/span>take on an Americano<\/span><\/a>, an eye-catching riff with a beet-dyed hue, and, in place of the customary lemon peel, a clever garnish. Inspired by a Campari jelly that McCabe Johnston had seen at <\/span>Shapes for a Name<\/span><\/a> in London, he makes a similar ingredient, but uses it as a filling to make what looks like a pimento pepper-stuffed olive. On paper, like the joke, it\u2019s a little nonsensical. But in reality, it works. \u201cSure, I thought it was hilarious, but it also makes sense in terms of how it is received on the palette,\u201d he says. \u201cThe bitter and salty play well [together].\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
The jelly itself is fairly easy to make. McCabe-Johnston simply brings Campari to a simmer quickly (which is important to not lose aromatics), then whisks it with agar-agar. After chilling for about two hours, the Campari jelly can be sliced, turned into different shapes and even placed in squeeze bottles for later use as a paste, which McCabe-Johnston says works well on a cracker or on the rim of a cocktail glass. For the Elephino Americano, he cuts the jelly Campari into small cubes to stuff into the olives.<\/span><\/p>\n
A third-generation bartender, McCabe-Johnston points to his mother Carrie McCabe-Johnston\u2019s work in the kitchen at <\/span>Nightingale<\/span><\/a>, which she owns alongside Jakob\u2019s father Jasha Johnston, as the reason behind his culinary-driven ethos. That background is on full display in this drink, where a sesame oil wash adds texture and an unconventional base spirit, aquavit, \u201cacts more as a seasoning,\u201d he says. A bartender should be \u201cconstantly thinking about balance of flavor,\u201d he says. \u201cThe best bartenders are thinking about drinks like chefs think about food.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n