Setting the bar
Cobra Commander (left) and a special concoction by the bartender KAIT HANSON PHOTOS
Q & A: Dylan Diehl of The Pig & The Lady
Have you ever stepped foot into a bar and felt like you had entered a different city? That’s how I felt when I walked into The Pig & The Lady. Since sipping its fantastic fusions at Ko Olina’s Food & Wine Festival last fall, I knew I needed to check out its Chinatown restaurant.
Master mixologist (sometimes known as intoxicologist) and bar manager Dylan Diehl was whipping up some signature concoctions, so we got to chatting.
“There’s a certain type of joy I get when I hand off a cocktail to someone, and they love it,” says Diehl, who has been a bartender for nine years. “Plus, you can learn quite a bit about someone just from asking what their favorite kind of drink is!”
What’s your favorite drink at The Pig & The Lady?
It’s a toss-up right now. There’s the Ticket to Ride, made by Nick Gray. Then there is the Revolution, which is mine. The Ticket to Ride is more my style of drink personally. Boozy, bitter, balanced and a little out of the norm — but I am pretty proud of the Revolution! It was one of those drinks that was made on the spot and didn’t need any tinkering around with. I just thought, “I wonder what it would taste like to make a cocktail based around grape distillates” — and went for it! Out came one of my favorite cocktails I had ever conceptualized.
What sets The Pig & The Lady apart?
The Pig & The Lady, to me, stands out because it feels like you just walked into a restaurant in Brooklyn. Exposed brick, cement floors, casual atmosphere. But aside from all the pig bric-a-brac, and Big Trouble in Little China bathroom shrine, the food and drinks really set it apart. It’s easy to recommend dishes to customers when you yourself love the food being served. I swear, I still get jealous every time I see someone eating the Laotian Fried Chicken.
Beer, wine or liquor?
I like beers at the beach, but I’m definitely a liquor guy. Give me a Sazerac or a Negroni, and I’ll be a happy little bartender. I won’t lie, though, there have been many nights when I have taken a bottle of wine on a date to my living room to watch Netflix by myself. I call it date night.
Why should I choose The Pig & The Lady for my next night out?
I absolutely love the oysters, and think they’re the best I’ve had on island. Aside from that, we handsaw our own ice for classic-style cocktails.
