Tag: In the Spirit

In the Spirit

Ain’t No Cure for the Summertime Blues

Except a new bottle of booze

By Tony Cross

It was my birthday last month so, to treat myself, I ordered a bunch of rum online. I’ve been on a tiki kick lately, making “how-to” videos for my social media pages. Plus, picking out a few new spirits keeps me inspired. The same week my pallet of liquor arrived on an 18-wheeler, a dear friend also gifted me a trio of super unique gins from Africa. So, let’s dive right into three different styles of spirit that could pique your interest.

Batavia-Arrack von Oosten

It’s not that I’ve never held onto a bottle of arrack or anything, but for its backstory spirit historian David Wondrich has us covered. In his book Punch, he writes that arrack was “derived from the Arabic word for ‘sweat’ or ‘juice’ and is generic throughout the Middle East and South, Central and Southeast Asia for a distilled spirit.” Though there are a few different types of arrack, Wondrich says Batavia Arrack von Oosten is the go-to. He goes on to explain how it’s made. “Rice was boiled and molded into cakes. These cakes were put in baskets over a vat, and as they fermented, a liquid dripped into the vat. That was collected, mixed with almost double its volume of molasses and a splash — less than a tenth of its volume — of palm wine, presumably to aid fermentation.”

But how does it taste and how do you take it? It’s like a rum. It’s funky, that’s for sure. But it also has a little bit of smoke. Perfect for a punch or a South Seas Swizzle, the specs courtesy of the importer, Haus Alpenz.

South Seas Swizzle

2 ounces Batavia Arrack van Oosten

1/2 ounce lime juice

1/2 ounce green tea syrup*

1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters

Add all ingredients in a tall glass and fill halfway up with crushed ice. Using your hands and a swizzle stick, move the stick left to right quickly with the palms of your hands, integrating all ingredients with ice for about 15 seconds. Fill the rest of the glass with crushed ice. Add fresh mint and grate nutmeg over the cocktail.

*Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of loose-leaf green tea. Let steep for 5 minutes. Strain tea and add 2 cups of sugar. Stir until sugar completely dissolves. Put in glass container and refrigerate for up to a month.

Hamilton “Beachbum Berry’s Zombie Blend” Rum

Hamilton is known for having a variety of top-notch rums, and this collaboration with Jeff “Beachbum” Berry is no different. Almost 20 years ago, Berry uncovered the original Zombie cocktail recipe, and published it in his book Sippin’ Safari. “Fourteen years later,” as his website reveals, “Ed Hamilton — the swashbuckling Caribbean trader turned crusading ‘pure rum’ importer and blender — was drinking with the Bum at Latitude 29 [Berry’s tiki bar] when our talk turned to the challenge of recreating the complicated exotic cocktails of the last century. Over the next two years we experimented with umpteen rum mixes trying to create a one-bottle blend that could reanimate your Zombie.” This rum is most definitely high-test, coming in at 59 percent ABV, and blends the holy trinity, if you will, of rums: Jamaican, Puerto Rican and demerara. Sugar, spice and everything nice is in this bottle. And though you can mix up a ton of different tiki cocktails with it, let me leave you with what it was originally intended for, the Zombie.

Zombie

2 ounces Beachbum Berry’s Zombie Rum Blend

3/4 ounce lime juice

1/2 ounce grapefruit juice

1/2 ounce falernum

1/2 ounce cinnamon syrup

1/4 ounce grenadine

8 drops Pernod (or absinthe)

4 dashes Angostura bitters

Power blend with 3/4 cup crushed ice for no more than 5 seconds. Pour into a tall glass and add ice to fill. Garnish with mint. Freaking yum.

Procera African Juniper Gin (Green Dot 2021 Vintage)

As I mentioned earlier, this gin — along with the Blue and Red Dot vintages — was gifted to me by a friend who’s a badass bartender and collector of spirits. In order for a gin to be “gin” it must contain juniper. Almost all gins on the market have juniper blended with many other spices and citrus peels. The Green Dot Procera Gin only has juniper. That’s it. Technically, it contains the young foliage tips, fresh “never-dried” berries, toasted heartwood and dried berries. Before I tried this for the first time, I thought, “not sure how there’s going to be a lot going on with this one.” I was so wrong. It’s the best gin I’ve ever had in my life. I can’t even describe to you what I tasted, but there’s a small note that accompanies the bottle and they nail it: “It starts with a creamy, rich mouthfeel from fresh, never-dried, Juniperus procera berries. Then, the leaves impart a piney, sap-like note on the mid-palate, before toasted heartwood delivers a dry, complex, almost spicy finish.” In-freaking-deed. Even though I haven’t mixed one for myself yet, I recommend having a martini with this. I’m making mine this weekend.

Martini

2 1/4 ounces Procera Green Dot Gin

3/4 ounce Dolin Dry vermouth

Combine the gin and vermouth in a chilled stirring vessel. Add ice and stir until proper dilution has occurred. Strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass. Garnish with whatever you’d like, but I’m going with a lemon peel, expressing the oils over the cocktail before adding it to the drink.

Quick tip: Put your gin, or at least the 2 1/4 ounces of it, in the freezer before mixing. You want your martini piercingly cold. PS

Tony Cross owns and operates Reverie Cocktails, a cocktail delivery service that delivers kegged cocktails for businesses to pour on tap — but once a bartender, always a bartender.

In The Spirit

Classic Remix

Making something out of something

By Tony Cross

Almost all cocktails on menus in today’s bars and restaurants are a spin on the classics — my keg cocktails are no exception. A few months back, my company debuted a spin on a vodka tonic. It wasn’t anything super fancy or anything — we added St. Germaine Elderflower liqueur and our small batch tonic syrup, TONYC. The result was delicious. Here’s how to make your own elderflower tonic at home followed by a couple other classics worth a tweak or two.

Elderflower Tonic

All you’re doing is adding three-quarters of an ounce of Elderflower liqueur. That’s it! Well, kind of. It seems like there are myriad tonic waters (and syrups, for that matter) on the market. Decisions, decisions. If you want the quick way out, Fever Tree tonic water is a no-brainer. However, this is how God intended you to make the drink, with the devilish addition of TONYC.

1 1/2 ounces vodka

3/4 ounce St. Germaine Elderflower liqueur

3/4 ounce TONYC syrup

4 ounces sparkling water

In a Collins glass, add all ingredients, give a quick stir, and then add ice; top with sparkling water, and lightly stir again; take the peel from an orange, expressing the oils over the cocktails, and placing peel into the glass. Cheers!

Jungle Bird

This tiki hall of famer (and I’m totally quoting liquor.com on this) was created in the 1970s by bartender Jeffrey Ong at the Aviary Bar located inside the Kuala Lumpur Hilton. But it was tiki guru Jeff “Beachbum” Berry’s book Intoxica that brought the Jungle Bird out of hiding. The drink originally called for “dark rum” and a ton of pineapple juice — four ounces. Berry switched the specs, calling for Jamaican rum, and scaling down the pineapple juice. The other three ingredients are fresh lime juice (which adds tartness), Campari (the amaro adds some bitterness), and demerara syrup (equal parts demerara sugar and water), to round everything out. Over the past decade I’ve seen lots of riffs on this drink, and they all look tasty. If you want to get jiggy on your own, perhaps try another amaro besides Campari, or you might want to swap out or infuse your rum. Banana infused rum could be delicious! What follows is Dante’s Jungle Bird from the Greenwich Village bar Dante NYC. I found this recipe on punch.com, which, by the way, has a ton of great cocktails on its website. The original recipe is shaken but Dante’s is not. Why? Probably because they only use one-quarter ounce of lime juice, instead of the traditional one-half ounce. That small amount of juice doesn’t need to be aerated, which is achieved by shaking your cocktail.

3/4 ounce rum (preferably Plantation Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple Rum)

1/2 ounce Campari

1/4 ounce Zucca Rabarbaro Amaro

2 1/2 ounces pineapple juice

1 barspoon lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a small water glass over ice; stir to integrate; garnish with orange wedge, Luxardo cherry and pineapple frond.

Caipirinha

Brazil’s national cocktail is one of my favorite drinks. I love cachaça (a sugar cane-pressed rum native to Brazil) because of this cocktail, and it’s my go-to when I reach for the rum in my bar. Simple to make, the caipirinha has only three ingredients: cachaça, lime, and sugar. Easy enough, and lots of ways to make this your own. Any fruit that you enjoy could work — think strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc. You can also infuse a sugar syrup with the fruit, a move that would cut down on the amount of fruit smashed in your cocktail glass. Either way, there are lots of ways to tackle the caipirinha. Traditionally, the cocktail is built in a glass with the quartered limes and sugar muddled, the cachaça and ice added, and then stirring. I prefer to use a simple syrup, do a quick shake and dump everything into a rocks glass. Here’s a take I did on the caipirinha years ago, called “One Way Trigger.” By infusing my cachaça with pineapples and using a ginger syrup, I was able to completely transform the cocktail, while keeping it a three-ingredient drink. Here’s how to make it:

2 ounces pineapple-infused cachaça*

1/2 ounce ginger syrup**

6 lime wedges

In a shaker, combine limes and ginger syrup together and gently press (and twist) muddler, making sure to extract juice and oils from limes without pulverizing them; add pineapple-infused cachaça and ice; shake hard for 5 seconds and pour everything into your rocks glass.

*Pineapple-infused cachaça: Dice one pineapple, place in a container and add 750 milliliters of cachaça; seal container and let sit for five days; strain out pineapples through cheesecloth and add the infused cachaça back into the bottle; keep refrigerated for a longer shelf life.

**Ginger syrup: Take and peel 100 grams of organic ginger; dice and add to pot; add 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water; bring mixture to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes; let cool and strain out pieces of ginger; keep syrup refrigerated. Will hold for 2-3 weeks. PS

Tony Cross owns and operates Reverie Cocktails, a cocktail delivery service that delivers kegged cocktails for businesses to pour on tap — but once a bartender, always a bartender.

2023 Department In the Spirit

In the Spirit

Take It Outside

Patio cocktails that’ll make you social

By Tony Cross

There’s nothing quite like springtime in the Carolinas. Minus the pollen, I love everything Mother Nature has to offer this time of the year: the longer days, the warmer mornings and the cozy evenings. I even love the bees dancing from flower to flower. But I especially love that it’s patio cocktail weather. Not too cold, not too hot. . . just right. And with that, I’ll get right to it. Here are a couple of cocktails worthy of sharing on any patio — and one if you’re poolside, too.

Bee’s Knees

Speaking of pollen, this three-ingredient cocktail is perfect for shaking up and sipping outside, while the worker bees do their thing. Though I’ve seen the drink attributed to a Frank Meier, who worked in Paris at the Ritz Hotel in 1921, and also to Margaret Tobin Brown, “Molly Brown,” in an issue of the 1929 Brooklyn Standard, the exact origin of the Bee’s Knees is unknown. It was probably created during Prohibition. The lingo in the States during that time frame had “the bee’s knees” right in there with “the cat’s pajamas.” More than likely, the honey was added to bathtub gin to mask the smell and soften the taste. But who cares who created this classic? It’s easy to make and incredibly balanced. Here’s how you do it.

2 ounces gin

3/4 ounce lemon juice

1/2 ounce honey syrup*

Lemon twist for garnish (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaking vessel, add ice, and shake hard for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe.

*Honey syrup: Combine 2 1/2 parts honey (you’re not doing it right if it’s not local) to 1 part hot water and mix until honey is dissolved. Once cooled, pour into a glass container, seal tight and refrigerate.

Colletti Royale

This spin on a margarita adds blood orange juice and rosé Champagne. How could you pass on that? It was created by bartender Julie Reiner at her bar, Clover Club, in New York City in 2013 for Valentine’s Day. Though I could drink this any day of the year, it tastes especially good outside during the month of May.

1 1/2 ounces reposado tequila

1/2 ounce Cointreau

1/2 ounce St. Germaine Elderflower liqueur

1/2 ounce blood orange juice

1/2 ounce lime juice

2 dashes Angostura Orange bitters

3 ounces rosé Champagne

Combine tequila, Cointreau, St. Germaine, juices and bitters into a shaker with ice and shake until vessel is chilled. Strain into a wine glass that’s filled with ice. Top with rosé Champagne, and garnish with a blood orange wheel.

A few notes: It’s hard to find blood oranges, especially during the warmer months. If you’re in a bind, you can substitute regular orange juice and Solerno Blood Orange liqueur (a fabulous addition to your home bar). Also, rosé Champagne isn’t cheap, so by all means find a less expensive, sparkling rosé that you would drink on its own.

Corona Cocktail

For those of you headed to the beach or pool who can’t take bar tools with you — or just don’t want the hassle — I give you the Corona Cocktail. That’s not an official name or anything. Actually, I don’t think this drink has a name, I’m just calling it that. But stay with me. All you’ll need is a shot glass for your measuring tool. I’m sure you can find it in yourself to let one of those tag along.

1 bottle Corona beer

1 ounce blanco tequila (splurge and make it Don Julio)

2 ounces orange juice

1/2 ounce grenadine

Squeeze of lime

Ready? Drink the Corona until the beer is level with the top of the label. Add tequila, orange juice and grenadine. Squeeze the lime into the bottle and pat yourself on the back: You’re officially a card-carrying mixologist. If you’re going to be one, however, you cannot, should not, and will not use store-bought grenadine — unless it’s an emergency and the ingredients are quality. Small Hands Foods, Liber & Co. and Jack Rudy are a few companies that make great grenadine. Better yet, save your money and make it at home. Equal parts turbinado sugar with POM pomegranate juice over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Voilà! Now get out there and be social. PS

Tony Cross is a bartender (well, ex-bartender) who runs cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails in Southern Pines.

2023 Department In the Spirit

In the Spirit

Tips and Tricks

Arsenal for your cocktail Rolodex

By Tony Cross

I love to learn new tricks when it comes to making drinks. Whether it’s from a cocktail book or a YouTube post by a bartender, some of these tips have become mainstays in how I construct a cocktail. Though I could write a year’s worth of columns on everything from “washing spirits” to “how to make your own bitters,” like Sesame Street, I’ll begin with the letter S — from syrups to saline — and finish at the “bitter” end. Relatively easy to make, these tips go a long way if you love making cocktails at home.

Rice Water Simple Syrup

Before you say “Eww, gross!” hear me out on this one. I was intrigued when I first heard about this for two reasons. First, I meal prep every Sunday and make a ton of rice. Second, I love velvety textures in shaken drinks (one of the main reasons I usually make a simple syrup with a 2:1 ratio). If you have any concerns about rice being a flavor in your syrup, don’t fret — any notes from the starch will be masked by the sugar.

To make: Soak your rice in water until cloudy. Measure 1 cup of starchy water and put it in a saucepan while adding 1 cup of sugar. You can use white sugar, you can use turbinado (I use cane) — it doesn’t matter. Let the mixture simmer, or stir quickly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool and bottle. Holds for two weeks.

Super Juice

Super juice will save you money and time. By taking the peels from lemons, limes, oranges or grapefruit, and adding acids, water and just a little bit of juice from the peeled fruit, you’ll be able to multiply your juice margins tenfold. Even better, it’ll last weeks. Say goodbye to daily juicing.

To make lemon super juice: Weigh lemon peels on scale (start off with the peels from 3 lemons). Use the same amount of citric acid by weight (if you have 40 grams lemon peel, use 40 grams citric acid). Multiply the weight of the lemon peels by 16.66 to determine the amount of water. Combine citric acid with peels in a container. Seal, shake to coat peels with acid, and let sit for 2-3 hours. A sludgy/oily substance will fill the bottom of the container. Put everything from the container into a blender and use the water to get out the rest of the oils in the blender. (You can use an immersion blender, if you’d like.) Blend water, oils and peels together. Strain through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth. Juice the peeled citrus, strain it, and add to oleo citrate. Stir, and refrigerate. You’ll notice that lemon will last the longest before tasting any subtleties with the flavor profile. The juice will start to taste a bit metallic and bitter as the weeks go on, but all juices will be great for the first week. Make sure to taste before using/serving.

Salt Solution

This one is a no-brainer. Salt makes food taste better, whether it’s chocolate, soup or fruit. The same applies to cocktails. Try making a daiquiri with a pinch of salt — it’ll make the flavors pop. Or, you can make a simple saline solution. One or two drops will make all the difference.

To make: 20 grams salt mixed with 80 grams of water. That’s it. Put it in a tiny glass dropper bottle and you’re good to go.

Combining Bitters

While I won’t break out the specs on making your own bitters from scratch, I will share a quick and easy tip that I learned from my first Death & Company book way back when. It’s the recipe for their house orange bitters. It wasn’t the first time I’d combined bitters — I previously used Employee’s Only’s recipe for Absinthe bitters — however, the recipe for this orange bitters is much easier. What I love about this simple trick is how you get the sweetness from the Fee Brothers orange bitters, the spices of angostura’s bitters, and the bitterness of Regans. This is a great balance. Try a few dashes in your next old fashioned.

Death & Co.’s House Orange Bitters: Take 100 grams Fee Brothers West Indian orange bitters; 100 grams Angostura orange bitters; 100 grams Regans orange bitters, transfer to an empty glass bottle, seal, and shake. Keep at room temperature; the bitters will hold for one year. PS

Tony Cross is a bartender (well, ex-bartender) who runs cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails in Southern Pines.

2023 Department In the Spirit

In the Spirit

Mind Your Vermouth

And reignite your passion

By Tony Cross

If you ask any of my friends or family about their knowledge of vermouth, their answers would more than likely fall into three categories.

The first group enjoys vermouth: They make their own cocktails at home on a weekly basis; they more than likely have their favorites when it comes to the subject of fortified wine; their vermouth is refrigerated and not spoiled.

The second group kind of knows about vermouth, and they might have a bottle of sweet vermouth in their kitchen, but it’s been collecting dust on their little liquor shelf ever since the pandemic lockdown when, on a whim, they wanted to make a Manhattan because they saw it on Mad Men.

In the third group — and this includes someone I personally know — when asked what they know about vermouth, they respond with a terrible French accent and talk like Inspector Clouseau.

Here are a few suggestions to elevate your game from bad first-period French to kick-ass martini. Just remember, once opened, these bottles must stay in your fridge, where they can last a couple of months. As the inspector would say, “Until we meet again and the case is sol-ved.”

Mancino Vermouth (Bianco Ambrato)

This Italian vermouth has gained a lot of popularity in the past decade, and for good reason. I’ve had a few of their different styles and they’re all delicious — on their own and in cocktails. For those who are completely unfamiliar with vermouth, pour this over a glass of ice with an orange wedge and try to pick out what lands on your tastebuds. There are 37 aromatic herbs infused in this soft and dry Trebbiano di Romagna wine, including elderflower, chamomile, mint and orange.

Drink: Pour 3 1/2 ounces over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with orange wedge. You may also add 1/2 to 1 ounce in your gin and tonic.

Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth

This is one of my favorite sweet vermouths for making cocktails. It’s super approachable to drink with huge notes of orange and vanilla. It’s fantastic in a Manhattan, and it’s great on its own over crushed ice with an orange wedge. Grab a bottle and give it a try — just remember to put it in the fridge. If you love it as much as I do in a Manhattan, try the recipe I found in The Infused Cocktail Handbook, by Kurt Maitland.

Drink: Poughkeepsie (courtesy of Laura Bellucci and Belle Epoque)

2 ounces Angel’s Envy Bourbon

1 ounce chamomile-infused Carpano Antica

2 dashes Bitterman’s Boston Bittahs (that’s Boston for “bitters”)

Build ingredients in a mixing vessel, add ice, and stir until cocktail is cold and diluted properly. Strain over ice in an old-fashioned glass.

Chamomile-infused Carpano Antica

1 liter Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth

2 tablespoons loose-leaf chamomile tea

Place ingredients in a large mason jar and let the mixture steep at room temperature for 48 hours. Strain before using or storing in the fridge. For best results, use within two weeks. Please note that Carpano also makes smaller bottles (375 milliliters); it might be a good idea to start small. Just adjust the amount of chamomile tea to 1 tablespoon, instead of 2.

Dolin Blanc Vermouth de Chambéry

This is also one of my favorite vermouths, known for its clean, light, floral style. The Dolin Blanc — a style of bianco, like the Mancino above — is clear and has a touch of sweetness. It goes well with a variety of spirits, such as pisco, gin, blanco tequila and vodka. Infusing chamomile with this bianco makes a great spring drink! Not to be confused with the crisp and classic “dry” that Dolin produces (my favorite in a gin martini), the Dolin Blanc is more fun to play around with using fruits and herbal infusions. Strawberries with this vermouth in a highball cocktail with blanco tequila and sparkling water is easy sipping. I found the following recipe for banana-infused Dolin Blanc in the back of Death & Company’s newest book, Welcome Home. I’ll leave the rest of the drink to your creativity, but white rum is a good place to start.

Drink: Banana-Infused Dolin Blanc Vermouth

200 grams peeled, ripe (but not brown) banana

1 375 milliliter bottle Dolin Blanc vermouth (reserve the bottle)

Thinly slice the bananas. Combine them with the vermouth in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours. Strain through a paper coffee filter, Superbag or fine-mesh sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth, then funnel back into the vermouth bottle and refrigerate until ready to use, up to three months. PS

Tony Cross is a bartender (well, ex-bartender) who runs cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails in Southern Pines.

2023 Department In the Spirit

In the Spirit

Manhattan Variations

Subtle twists, refined tastes

By Tony Cross

While I was at work last week, I saw a bottle of vermouth that I enjoy and immediately realized that it had been a minute or so since I’ve made and enjoyed a Manhattan. I vowed to make myself one that night.

It was getting a little late by the time I was heading home, and I remembered I was out of Grand Marnier. A quick detour to the local ABC store aaannnddd . . . they’re closed. “Damn it!” I pouted, furious that I had literally missed the window by five minutes. I’ve done that maybe twice in my life. When I got home I went to my cabinet to get a bottle of rye and a bottle of Angostura bitters. As I was reaching for the bitters, my hand was drawn to a small bottle of Angostura cocoa bitters. “This could be good,” I thought. I grabbed the bitters, retrieved my vermouth from the fridge, and away I went whipping up the cocktail. It was so good I’ve been making one every night since.

Those of you who know how to make a Manhattan might wonder why the hell I would need an orange liqueur — it’s not even an ingredient in the drink. And you would be right. Until you try it. I’ll explain. But first, let’s KFC this thing and look at the original recipe.

Manhattan

2 ounces whiskey (bourbon or rye)

1 ounce sweet vermouth

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Bourbon or rye will do, just make sure that the proof is 90 or above. It truly does make a better Manhattan. As far as vermouth goes, my go-to is always Carpano Antica, but other vermouths such as Cocchi, Cinzano, Dolin, etc., will do. As always, make sure your vermouth has been refrigerated after opening. Vermouth that has been sitting in your liquor cabinet is trash — throw it out. The bitters, in my opinion, must be Angostura. There are other aromatic bitters available if you’d like to switch it up, and there is nothing wrong with that, though I still think Angostura reigns supreme. When you are using bitters, make sure that the dashes are not drops. Don’t be scared to give that bottle a shake.

Now, the orange liqueur. When I first got into mixing drinks, I followed Dushan Zaric from Employee’s Only in New York City. His cocktail book was my Bible. In it, he has a recipe for a Manhattan that goes something like this:

Manhattan (Employee’s Only version)

1 1/2 ounces rye whiskey

1 3/4 ounces sweet vermouth

1/2 ounce Grand Marnier

3 dashes Angostura bitters

Right off the bat you’ll notice that there is more vermouth in this version of a Manhattan. Back in the 1800s in legendary bartender Jerry Thomas’ day, this was a vermouth cocktail and it did have orange curaçao. The folks at EO like to honor the cocktail and make it the way it was done 150 years ago. Truth be told, I would do a 2:1 ratio of rye and vermouth but keep the Grand Marnier at 1/2 ounce. It is delicious and a must-try for any whiskey fan.

The next variation was created by bartender Todd Smith when he worked at Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco in 2005. By swapping out the sweet vermouth with amaro (an Italian liqueur), the drink leans more toward the bitter end.

Black Manhattan

2 ounces rye whiskey

1 ounce Amaro Averna

1 dash Angostura bitters

1 dash orange bitters

Last but not least, my latest nightly treat. There’s nothing to it, just the addition of cocoa bitters. I did, however, play around with the specs a little. For instance, I always use a rye when making Manhattans, but it just so happened I had a bottle of Old Scout straight bourbon whiskey that had been gifted to me, so on my second night of making Chocolate Manhattans, I gave it a shot. The Old Scout is a whopping 121 proof (yikes!), but the sweet vermouth takes the edge off and the cocoa bitters makes the cocktail come together. If you don’t have a high proof bourbon, a 90 proof (or higher) rye whiskey will most definitely do. As for garnishes, I usually use a lemon peel — expressing its oils over the cocktail — but, as luck would have it, I purchased and opened a bottle of Luxardo Maraschino cherries and hot damn, does it make that last sip taste like dessert! Cherries, chocolate . . . am I still talking about a grown-up cocktail? You betcha.

As with all of these Manhattan cocktails, the setup and execution are the same: Make sure your drinking coupe is cold. Add all liquid ingredients into a chilled stirring vessel. Use good ice (if possible) and stir until the cocktail is cold and enough water is diluted, then strain your cocktail into the cold coupe.

Chocolate Manhattan

2 ounces Old Scout 6-year straight bourbon whiskey

1 ounce Carpano Antica vermouth

2 dashes Angostura Cocoa bitters

1 dash Angostura bitters PS

Tony Cross is a bartender (well, ex-bartender) who runs cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails in Southern Pines.

2023 Department In the Spirit

In the Spirit

To Drink or Not to Drink

A recipe for both worlds

If you’re one of the few who have started January dry this year, my hat’s off to you. It’s very easy to start — you know, with all the gluttony that came and went with the holidays — but it’s not quite as easy to finish. After a couple of weeks without alcohol (especially if your diet is back on track), you start feeling much better after the punishment you put your liver through, and you might start thinking, “Gee, maybe it’s time I treat myself.” And off you go.

To cover all the bases, here is a low ABV cocktail for those who might slip up from time to time, and a non-alcoholic recipe for those who go all the way without a drop of spirit. Either way, both are delicious.

Strawberry-infused Campari and Soda

This is a very simple cocktail; the only catch is waiting a few days for your Campari to infuse. Campari is a bitter liqueur, an aperitif that is low in alcohol, and known by most for the part it plays in the Negroni, a cocktail classic.

To infuse your Campari, wash and slice 1 quart of strawberries and mix them in a container with 750 milliliters of Campari. Let sit for 3-4 days. Strain through a cheesecloth into a glass container when ready.

Put 2 ounces of your strawberry-infused Campari into a tall (highball) glass, add ice, and top with sparkling water. Stir slightly for a few seconds. Garnish with a lemon twist and strawberry.

Hay Is for Horses

This one, from The Aviary: Holiday Cocktails, is a bit elaborate, but you’re not drinking this month, so you’ll have plenty of free time to put it together.

Grapefruit ice

2 1/2 ounces juniper hay stock

3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice

3/4 ounce maple syrup

1 bar spoon rice wine vinegar

1 1/2 ounces grapefruit-flavored sparkling water (Fever Tree makes a great one)

1 grapefruit peel

Place 3 cubes of grapefruit ice into a medium serving glass. Combine all ingredients (except sparkling water and grapefruit peel) with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously until chilled and diluted, then strain through a fine mesh strainer into glass over ice. Gently add the sparkling water. Express the grapefruit peel over the glass. Discard the peel.

Grapefruit Ice

400 grams horseradish stock

200 grams fresh grapefruit juice

104 grams simple syrup

46 grams fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, whisking to mix thoroughly. Fill a 1 1/4 inch (3.2 centimeters) square ice mold with mixture. Freeze into cubes until completely solid. Reserve.

Simple Syrup

60 grams sugar

60 grams water

Combine sugar and water into a medium bowl. Stir with a spatula to completely dissolve the sugar. Transfer to a glass bottle or other airtight container and reserve in the refrigerator.

Horseradish Stock

400 grams hot water

100 grams prepared horseradish

Place the water and horseradish in a medium bowl, whisking to combine. Allow the mixture to steep for 1 hour. Strain through a mesh strainer, discarding solids and reserving the liquid.

Juniper Hay Stock

40 grams fresh hay*

5 grams cinnamon sticks, crushed/broken into small pieces

5 grams coriander seeds

4 green cardamom pods, crushed

15 grams juniper berries

650 grams water

Peel from 1/2 lime (about 5 grams)

Peel from 1/2 orange (about 13 grams)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the hay onto a cookie sheet or sheet tray. Toast the hay in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, toast the cinnamon, coriander, and cardamom over medium heat until fragrant. Let cool completely.

In a medium saucepan, combine the toasted hay, spices, and juniper with the water. Bring this to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat, add lime and orange peels, cover, and let steep for 1 1/2 hours. Strain this mixture through a mesh strainer, discarding solids. Transfer the liquid to a glass bottle or other non-reactive container and reserve.

*If you have trouble finding hay, you can substitute rolled oats, or omit it completely . . . the final drink will still be tasty. PS

Tony Cross is a bartender (well, ex-bartender) who runs cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails in Southern Pines.

2023 Department In the Spirit

In the Spirit

Punch and Bottles

Sipping solutions for the holidays

By Tony Cross

The year is winding down, but not before you’re inundated with commercials, songs, television shows, parades, parties and all things holiday. Overwhelmed much? Hopefully I can take a little pressure off by suggesting that just-right bottle of booze for someone you deem worthy or, if you happen to be playing host, some advice on how to make a killer punch. While most of these spirits and liqueurs might be unfamiliar to you (and the recipient), all of them are damn tasty — and under $30. I’ve sampled them more often than I care to admit, but all in the spirit of looking out for you, dear reader.

BOTTLES

Elijah Craig Single Barrel Bourbon, $29

I prefer rye over bourbon whiskey, but there are always exceptions. This is one of them. I like this bourbon neat, but there’s nothing wrong with whipping up an old fashioned with it either. Most of the spirits I order online are from Astor Wines and Spirits at astorwines.com. One great thing about this website is they go in depth on their “staff picks” and give you a rundown on why they think a spirit is worthy of your dollar. Here’s what they had to say about this delicious bourbon: “Sipping it neat allows the beautiful bouquet to release notes of bananas Foster, coconut, vanilla, and brown sugar. The palate reveals sweet grains, caramel, vanilla, baking spices, and a hint of citrus to keep it fresh. It’s just as delicious on the rocks. And because the price won’t break the bank, it’s a guilt-free whiskey for cocktails. This is my go-to bourbon for everything! Give it a try, it will quickly become yours, too.”

Giffard Caribbean Pineapple Liqueur, $29

I first fell in love with Giffard’s pineapple liqueur a few years back, but now I have a slight obsession with it. Try it on its own before mixing it — you’ll taste what I mean. Stupid good. Add this to margaritas, or any sour. Have it with sparkling water for a nice low ABV treat (the Caribbean Pineapple has a low 20 percent alcohol by volume). Or, put a dash in your next stir-fry dish. OK, I got that idea from Astor. Order it online because our ABC stores consider it a special order and you’d be required to buy more than one.

Plantation 5 Yr. Barbados Rum, $29

Rum, in my humble opinion, is underrated. The Plantation 5 Yr. is a great entry-level rum for someone who isn’t familiar with good rum. It’s excellent neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail. I think some fans of bourbon would get a kick out of going half-and-half with the 5 Yr. in their next old fashioned. Plantation has lots of great rums — some much higher in price — which is why this makes a fun gift for the uninitiated.

SIPS

Fulton Club Punch

This punch is out of The Aviary: Holiday Cocktails. I’m a sucker for punch, especially around the holidays. A little elbow grease before your guests arrive, then coast into being the host. You can find these spirits at, you guessed it, Astor Wines and Spirits. This recipe serves 8-10 people, so double the specs if necessary.

Ingredients

3 medium-sized navel oranges

240 grams sugar

1 large, ripe pineapple

1 bottle chardonnay

45 grams Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac

44 grams Rhine Hall Cherry Brandy

26 grams Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao

22 grams Smith & Cross Rum

Peel the oranges using a vegetable peeler, taking care to remove as little of the white pith as possible. Reserve the peeled fruit for juicing. In a small bowl, combine the orange peels and sugar. Muddle the mixture with a cocktail muddler or the end of a rolling pin. Allow to sit for 30 minutes, muddling and stirring periodically. Meanwhile, peel the pineapple, remove the core, and chop into small chunks. Add the pineapple chunks to the orange peel mixture, muddling and mixing to thoroughly incorporate. Allow to sit for at least another 30 minutes, muddling and stirring periodically.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining liquid ingredients, stirring to mix thoroughly. Pour this mixture over the pineapple mixture, stirring to dissolve sugar completely. Allow this to marinate for 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer, pushing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Transfer to a glass bottle or other non-reactive airtight container and transfer to the refrigerator to chill thoroughly.

Raspberry Cardamom Ice Block

Ingredients

5 whole cardamom pods

500 grams water

350 grams fresh raspberries

158 grams sugar

Reserved peeled oranges (3 medium-sized navel oranges)

Place the cardamom pods onto a cutting board or countertop. Using a small saucepan, crush the pods lightly, then place them into the saucepan. Toast the cracked cardamom over medium heat until fragrant. Add the water, raspberries, and sugar and increase the heat to high. Bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and set a smaller bowl inside it. Juice the oranges. Remove the raspberry mixture from the heat and add the orange juice, stirring to combine. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into the bowl set over ice, discarding solids. Allow the mixture to chill completely, then transfer it to a cake pan, baking dish, large mixing bowl, or other large vessel that will fit in your freezer. Freeze until completely solid. Reserve.

To Assemble and Serve:

Chill 2 bottles of sparkling white wine. Place the block of raspberry cardamom ice into a punch bowl or other large serving vessel. Pour the punch base down the side of the bowl. Aadd the bottles of sparkling wine, taking care to pour slowly. Gently stir the mixture to incorporate thoroughly. Ladle into individual glasses and serve immediately. PS

Tony Cross is a bartender (well, ex-bartender) who runs cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails in Southern Pines.

2022 Department In the Spirit

In the Spirit

Flavor Savors

Infused syrups for myriad libations

By Tony Cross

The holidays are upon us. I know, I’m rolling my eyes, too. Time flies, and whether you’re ready or not, ’tis the season. The struggle is real, and so it begins.

These next two months can be an excuse for having a few more drinks than we normally would (you know who you are), so why not have some fun with it? If you’re playing host to family and friends, or just relaxing at home after being dragged to holiday get-togethers, here are a few syrups you can have ready in your fridge. They mix well with a variety of cocktails (shaken and stirred), and pair quite nicely with non-alcoholic beverages, too.

The syrups aren’t hard to make. The key is using fresh ingredients — sourcing them locally and being organic helps as well — and measuring your specs. Once you have these ready to go, you can interchange them in an arsenal of drinks. Included with each syrup is a cocktail that incorporates the former. Feel free to interchange some of these syrups with different spirits.

Syrup: Ginger and Honey

1 part fresh ginger juice

1 part honey

Combine both ingredients into a blender and turn on high until honey is completely incorporated. I highly recommend sourcing local honey, and organic ginger. A quick note on juicing ginger: If you don’t have a juicer at home, stop by your local health food store or juice shop. Chances are you can buy the ginger there and have it juiced on the spot. Either way, make sure your juice sits in the fridge for a couple of hours before straining it. Ginger juice is very fibrous and you want as much of that fiber as possible to settle at the bottom of your container before using. This is called “racking.” Some might think that organic ginger is a bridge too far but I’ve been working with cold-pressed ginger juice for over five years now and I can attest, organic ginger tastes and looks better. Try it and see. Syrup holds for 2 weeks.

Cocktail: Penicillin

2 ounces blended Scotch

3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice

3/4 ounce ginger-honey syrup

1/4 ounce Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Candied ginger

In a shaking vessel, combine blended Scotch, lemon juice and ginger-honey syrup. Add ice and shake until vessel is ice cold. Double strain into a rocks glass over ice. Float your 1/4 ounce of Islay Scotch over the cocktail. Garnish with candied ginger. You can also use this syrup with gin and tequila sours.

Syrup: Brown Sugar/Cinnamon

10 grams cinnamon sticks

1 part brown sugar

1 part cane sugar

1 part water

1 ounce Everclear grain alcohol 151 proof (optional)

Place cinnamon in a blender and blend quickly for 10 seconds. In a small pot, combine brown and cane sugars with water. Place heat on medium and stir until sugar has completely dissolved. Place the syrup in the blender with the cinnamon, and blend once again for another 10 seconds. Let the syrup cool in a container, and then strain out the solids. Refrigerate until ready to use. Syrup holds for one month — or many months if Everclear is used.

Cocktail: Old Fashioned

2 ounces bourbon

1/4 ounce cinnamon syrup

3 dashes Angostura bitters

Orange peel

Cinnamon stick

In a stirring vessel, combine bourbon, syrup and bitters. Add ice and stir until your cocktail is both cold and water is diluted. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Express oils from orange peel over your cocktail, dropping peel into the drink with cinnamon stick. You can use this syrup in rum and tequila old fashioneds. It also works well with tequila sours.

Syrup: Vanilla (Makes 2 cups)

1 1/4 cups water

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

1/4 vanilla bean

In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar and vanilla bean and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Strain through cheesecloth into an airtight 1-pint glass container. Seal the container and store in the refrigerator for up to one month. This syrup goes well with whiskey sours and vodka sours (add muddled strawberries for the latter).

Non-Alcoholic Cocktail: Haikara Mugicha

3 ounces charcoal-roasted barley and lapsang souchong tea (recipe below)

1/2 ounce vanilla syrup

3 dashes Angostura bitters

Orange twist

Build the drink in a double rocks glass by adding the tea, syrup and bitters over hand-carved ice. Stir well until chilled. Garnish with an orange twist.

Charcoal-Roasted Barley and Lapsang Souchong Tea

4 cups water

1/4 cup charcoal-roasted mugicha (or barley tea)

1 1/2 teaspoons loose lapsang souchong tea leaves

Fill a 1-quart container with the water, add the teas, and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes. Strain through a coffee filter into an airtight 1-quart glass container. Seal the container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This recipe is courtesy of famed Japanese bartender, Masahiro Urushido’s book, The Japanese Art of the Cocktail. Your ice does not have to be hand-carved unless you feel obliged. PS

Tony Cross is a bartender (well, ex-bartender) who runs cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails in Southern Pines.

2022 Department In the Spirit

In the Spirit

Batch-a-Zombie

Cocktail prep for Halloween

By Tony Cross

Rum is the nectar of the gods, right, so what makes more sense in October than having a little fun with a Zombie? Without further ado, let me present the batched, milk-punch-clarified Zombie cocktail that you can bottle and drink whenever you want. Talk about the living dead.

I follow a few fine bartenders on Instagram and one, whose handle is thirstywhale, put up a quick little TikTok about scaling up the Zombie, and then clarifying the whole thing. As soon as the video ended, I was on it.

First, let’s address the whole milk thing. Adding milk to drinks is nothing new. In fact, milk was added to punch before people were shaking up cocktails. As Dave Arnold explains, “Milk punches are known for their soft, round flavors. That softness isn’t caused just by the presence of milk but by the removal of phenolic compounds from the spirit via the casein-rich curds.” In English, clarifying a batched drink with milk makes the drink soft and smooth, without tampering with the ABV. Batching cocktails ahead of time is plenty of work, but just imagine pulling a bottle of clarified Zombies from your cabinet on Halloween night and pouring it over ice for the parents while their ghosts and goblins dig into the candy bowl. Look at you, all cool and stuff.

Clarified Zombie (batched)

3 cups Jamaican rum

3 cups Gold Puerto Rican rum

2 cups 151 demerara rum

1 cup Falernum

1 1/2 cups lime juice

2/3 cups grapefruit juice

1/3 cup cinnamon syrup

2 3/4 ounces grenadine

3/4 ounce absinthe

1/2 ounce Angostura Bitters

3 cups whole milk

This recipe yields roughly four 750ml bottles of cocktails. You can definitely cut this in half, or by three-quarters, but . . . if you’re going to buy the bottles of spirits for this recipe, you might as well go all out. In fact, any extra would make a great gift for a birthday or the holidays. Once completed, this cocktail will hold for many, many years.

Here are the liquors I used:

Jamaican: Appleton Estate 8 Year

Puerto Rican: Bacardi Gold

151: Lemon Hart & Son Rhum

You don’t have to use these, but make sure the rums come from the respective origins. You can order these online and have them shipped to you in a week. I highly, highly recommend this option. You’ll need to get the Falernum there anyway, and there’s no substitute for that. What is Falernum, you ask? It’s like a syrup/liqueur that is flavored with lime, almond and clove. It’s an essential in many Tiki drinks.

Notes on Execution

Juice: please squeeze it yourself. Do not, I repeat, do not buy these in a bottle. Also, make sure that the juice is squeezed just prior to batching. Strain it, too, will ya?

Cinnamon syrup: take 10 grams of cinnamon sticks and blend them for 10 seconds. In a small pot, make a 2:1 simple syrup with 1 cup of white sugar to 1/2 cup water. Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Place the syrup in the blender with cinnamon, and blend one last time for another 10 seconds. Let the syrup cool in a container, and then strain out the solids. Refrigerate until you’re ready to use.

Grenadine: there are two options. You can buy this, but not at the grocery store. Contrary to belief, grenadine is not made from cherries, it’s made from pomegranate juice. Small Hand Foods makes a great one, if you’re looking online. You can also make this at home. Just take equal parts POM pomegranate juice with demerara sugar and stir it in a pot over medium heat until dissolved. Presto!

Absinthe: I have a nice bottle here at the house, but if you don’t, almost every ABC in North Carolina has one. If you’d rather order online, may I suggest the Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe Superieure?

Showtime: In a large Cambro, start with your smallest ingredients first — Angostura Bitters, absinthe, all the way up to 3 cups of rum. Give it a quick stir. Add the 3 cups of milk last. You’re halfway there. Cover your container and walk away. Let it sit for 2-4 hours. When the time has passed, take a medium to large strainer, and line the inside of it with paper towels (one ply thick). Make sure that you slowly pour the cocktail into your strainer. It will take a little while to filter through, so you’ll have to pour and wait, repeating the process. If you pour too quickly, the curdled cocktail will rip through your paper towel. When all is filtered, filter again. This time, take a coffee filter to catch every last bit of curd. Once this is done, just bottle and keep in a cool, dark place. This cocktail will hold forever in the bottle. Pour 2-3 ounces over ice. Garnish with grated, fresh nutmeg. And be careful — these drinks are potent. More than a couple, and you’ll be walking like a . . . well, you know. PS

Tony Cross is a bartender (well, ex-bartender) who runs cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails in Southern Pines.

2022 Department In the Spirit