Faithful Scotsman (Death & Co Recipe)

 

A stirred drink with pineapple and lemon juice? Even weirder is the toasted whole cumin syrup. But how does it taste? Amazing. And yes, it all works.

Death & Co. has taught me that a rich syrup cocktail with juice can be stirred and swerved on the rocks like an Old Fashioned or, in this case, something very similar to the Harlem Cocktail. 

Again the tropical Island cocktail works well with scotch. Roasted barley whiskies like scotch also go well with savory notes as well. I'm talking about the cumin syrup. To make this golden syrup, toast 1 tbsp. of whole cumin seeds in a saucepan for about three minutes before adding 1/2 cup of water and sugar. Cook until it reduces and the sugar is dessolved. Then strain through fine mesh or cheesecloth. 

• 1 1/2 oz. Compass Box Asyla Scotch (Speyburn 10 used)
  
• 1/4 oz. Massenez creme de peche (1/4 oz. Evan William's peach bourbon used)
• 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/4 oz. cumin syrup 
• 1 pineapple leaf garnsih

Stir all ingredients, then strain into a double rocks glass over 1 large ice cube. Garnish with the pineapple leaf. 

Trembling Bell (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

My final St. Patrick's Day cocktail for the year looks a lot like the last one, a little like a cloudy sour. That's due to the honey syrup and chamomile-infused rye. Believe it or not, this is a stirred drink! There is no juice, and it did taste boozy, but overall it was super fruity. 

If I did anything a little unorthodox with this recipe, it was substituting peach flavored bourbon for creme de peche. There's nothing like that in Virginia, but I know that a creme de peche is sweet and will have a candy-like peach presence. Evan Williams peach bourbon has the right flavor (a little too much of it) but it needs the sugar from the honey syrup to balance. I did not change the protestations at all. 

For all the fuss of being Irish, this cocktail is mostly an infused rye drink. Again, I'm opting for the malt characteristics of Virginia Distilling Company's Brewer's Batch for this cocktail instead of any run of the mill blended Irish whiskey. It has the malt requirement to give heft to rye and honey.

• 1 1/2 oz. chamomile-infused Rittenhouse rye
• 1 oz. Knappogue Castle 12-Year Irish whiskey (Virginia Distilling Company Brewer's Batch used)
• 3/4 oz. Cocchi Americano (Dolin Blanc used)
• 1 tsp. Massenez creme de peche (Evan William's peach whiskey used)
• 1/2 tsp. honey syrup
• 1 lemon twist 

Combine all ingredients except twist in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled coupe. Twist lemon zest over the drink and discard. 

Rodeo Drive Rammer

 

This is a fun, and a little silly, drink to salute the crazy that is part of driving in Los Angles. Really, this is a cocktail that is part deluxe, part gaudy, and all American--just like Beverly Hills itself.

Here is a  punch drink with the usual rum. falernum and orange juice: but it's not stereotypically American enough until you add peach liqueur and bourbon. In fact this drink flips the tables with bourbon being the base spirit in a punch, which I like. I happened to have a dash left of Evan Williams peach bourbon, which worked for the peach brandy that was specified in the recipe. 

Go ahead and make this one if you are in the mood for day drinking, just don't get behind the wheel.

• 1 1/2 oz. bourbon (Ancient Age used)
• 1/2 oz. Jamaican rum (George Bowman used)
• 1/2 oz. curacao (triple sec used)
• 1/2 oz. peach brandy (Evan Williams peach used)
• 3 oz. orange juice
• 1 tsp. falernum or orgeat (homemade falernum used)
• pineapple slice and cherry garnishes
• club soda

 Combine all liquid ingredients except for soda in a shaker or blender. Shake or blend and pour into a Hurricane glass. Top with soda and garnish with fruit.

 

Alabammy Bound

The name, of course, refers to the southern state of Alabama where peaches and peach liqueur are symbolic of Southern drinking. The recipe calls for Louisiana's proprietary liqueur, Southern Comfort, but other peach flavored spirits are also acceptable. 

For this drink, I used a sample of Evan Williams peach bourbon, which seems appropriate because of Bourbon's prominent place in southern cocktails. It is the brandy that seems out of place in an Alabama-themed cocktail. That is, at least, until you realize that Southern Comfort is a brandy--not a bourbon--spirit. 

I heartily recommend this cocktail. The peach flavor tastes unique when paired with citrus and mint. This drink stands out from many southern-styled cocktails like the Alabama Slammer and a whole host eye catching drinks made from  flavored and artificially colored liqueurs. I enjoied Evan Williams peach bourbon so much that I would be happy to buy a full-sized bottle. 

• 1 oz. brandy (Korbel used)
• 1 oz. Southern Comfort (Evan Williams peach bourbon used
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. sugar syrup or to taste
• mint sprig

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the mint sprig.