Carolina Emperor Cocktail

By: The Food Hunter

Meet Steven Devereaux Greene the executive chef of The Umstead Hotel and Spa, a Cary, North Carolina hotel lauded for its progressive American regional cuisine. Greene is responsible for all food and beverage operations, including Herons restaurant, The Bar & Lounge and catering. Greene’s passion for using ingredients and products from the rich Piedmont region to create beautifully refined plates and cocktails is evident daily in The Umstead’s award-winning dining program. 

His background includes work in some of the country’s most celebrated kitchens. After serving as chef de cuisine at the handsomely awarded Dining Room at Woodlands Resort and Inn, in Summerville, S.C., Greene was inspired to open his namesake restaurant, Devereaux’s, which quickly became a mainstay in Greenville, S.C. Devereaux’s would ultimately join the prestigious ranks of the Table 301 Restaurant Group to make way for Greene’s first post with The Umstead. Named a “Rising Star” by Restaurant Hospitality in 2008, Greene has twice cooked at the prestigious James Beard House in New York, representing Herons in 2011 and Devereaux’s in 2007.

Greene was inspired to create the Carolina Emperor Cocktail when he heard the story of the Carolina Emperor emerald, which was found in North Carolina and remains to be the largest emerald ever discovered in North America, weighing 64 carats (310 carats uncut). The cocktail’s ingredients come together to perfectly mimic the green color of the brilliant gem.

Carolina Emperor Cocktail
2 oz Hendricks gin
.5 oz St. Germain
2 oz Cucumber-Yuzu
1 Ice emerald
1 oz Fever Tree Tonic
Liquid nitrogen
Cucumber twist

Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Stir well. Strain into a chilled glass.
Garnish with a cucumber twist