Cold Weather Spirits
Cocktails for those long, winter nights
Absolute access all of the time is overrated. Awaiting what’s fresh and relishing that moment is one of our Midwest treasures. There’s nothing quite like t...
The release of cranberries that don’t come in a frozen package is always a bit special to mixologists in Columbus. Sure, cranberry juice is always on the shelf but the fresh berries and the stuff you drank with your vodka in college are worlds apart. It’s always a seasonal notation the first time you see those red packages lining your market’s produce shelves.
“Garden Of The Poison Oak” makes use of this by perfectly pairing cranberries with Watershed Distillery Bourbon Barrel Aged Gin with its citrus peel and spice balance. Rhubarb is certainly a flexible taste when it comes to the seasons, but “Art In The Age’s Rhubarb” (tea), a full-proof spirit that’s shaped up to be one of the most thrilling new releases in the spirits world, works masterfully here. The addition of a few more winter touches, including rosemary, turns this cocktail into a crisp, snowbound chiller.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Watershed Distillery Bourbon Barrel Aged Gin
- ¾ ounce “Art In The Age’s Rhubarb” (tea) Liquor
- 10 to 12 fresh muddled cranberries
- ½ ounce House Made Rosemary Simple Syrup***
- ½ ounce egg white
- ½ ounce fresh lemon
- 3 to 4 dashes rhubarb bitters
Instructions
In a mixing tin add the fresh cranberries and the lemon juice. Muddle this thoroughly. Add all the rest of the ingredients. In a cocktail mixing set, “dry shake” (no ice) these ingredients vigorously. Add ice and shake vigorously once more. Strain ingredients into a highball glass filled with fresh ice and floating cranberries. Garnish with a rosemary sprig and an optional edible flower. If desired, also decorate foam with drops of bitters.
***Rosemary Simple Syrup A simple syrup is just a 50-50 ratio of water to sugar brought to a boil then immediately allowed to steep for 30 to 60 minutes. For the Rosemary Simple Syrup, just add in 8–10 sprigs of rosemary to boil/steep for a typical yield (8 ounces of water to 8 ounces sugar). Separate the sprigs thereafter and bottle syrup. Syrup can be refrigerated and used for 2–3 weeks.
Editor’s Note: All of the spirits listed here can be found at Weiland’s Market, or Giant Eagle Market District. As always, call ahead to make sure they have it in stock.
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