Meet the creator behind the island-inspired ‘Daydream’ cocktail

Ray Tremblay of nightlife destination Caveau teaches us to mix the refreshing drink.

COJE's Ray Tremblay and the Daydream cocktail. Photos courtesy of Ray Tremblay and Josh Jamison

May 23, 2023

If you’re looking for something fun to do ahead of the long weekend and want to explore Boston’s vibrant nightlife scene, the newly opened Caveau may be worth a visit. Opened in downtown Boston in early May, the ornate and otherworldly spot offers bites and creative cocktails, and is meant to resemble an underground cavern on an island with a flair of “Alice and Wonderland,” according to Ray Tremblay, beverage director for COJE Management Group.

“I really wanted to go tropical, fun and light, with complex flavors — something for everybody,” Tremblay said. “We really want people to enjoy these [cocktails], order multiple versions of them.”

One of Tremblay’s favorite cocktails you can order at Caveau is the Daydream. We spoke with him about how it’s made, what inspired it, and what people can expect when they step into the space. Below, find our Q&A with Tremblay, and read the recipe for how you can create it at home.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity

What is the inspiration behind the Daydream?

I created the Daydream for our opening of Caveau. I wanted to do something that was a little bit lighter. In nightlife scenarios, people gravitate a lot towards lighter, easier drinks. The vodka soda always takes over people’s minds. I wanted to create something that was really light and refreshing but stayed true to the culture between the food and drink that we’re leaning into.

How is the cocktail made?

For the base, we start with our Daydream cordial. We blanch and shock fresh mint, then we blend it for a minute on medium with vodka in our Vitamix. This process helps maintain that bright green color. Once finished, we fine strain it through nut milk bags, and then through a coffee filter. Next, we create a lemongrass syrup. We take fresh lemongrass, and then remove the dry tips and base off of them. We hit the lemongrass with the back of a knife, which helps release a lot of the oils, then we cut [them] into small pieces and steep that in a one-to-one simple syrup with a pinch of salt and citric acid, which creates our lemongrass syrup. We then combine the infused vodka with the lemongrass syrup to create our Daydream cordial. We use fresh squeezed pineapples, and we do a filtration and light clarification of that to help remove some of the solids and darker color. To finish [it] off, we use Italicus bergamot liqueur, Reyka vodka, a dash of sesame oil, and soda water.

What is the experience like at Caveau?

It’s an immersive, sensory experience. Where we’re located in Downtown [Boston]… it’s buildings and businesses — corporate. You walk into this apothecary entrance. We have bottles and fun little classic apothecary [details] and beautiful peacock wallpaper. … You go down one hall, and then you turn another, and … It’s a huge reveal… We’ve got rocks, custom made and molded, so it’s like walking into a cave with greenery that’s falling from the ceiling to look like it’s been there for hundreds of years… Everybody who walks in, turns the corner, and the first thing you hear them say is, “Wow.”

How did you get started in the bartending scene?

I got started in the beverage scene in 2008… I just fell in love with it. The biggest thing about Boston — I moved away for six years and moved back — it just always had a wonderful sense of community. Boston as a whole is always this underdog, being in the Northeast… I think what we’re doing in the city is impressive and creative, and we have a lot of wonderful people here who push for it.