Ho-Ho-Kus Pocus

 

Is this a Christmas cocktail or did you just stutter? I'm asking because the phrase Hocus Pocus is a medieval term that mocked the use of Latin in church. Adding an additional "ho" to the phrase makes it sound like Santa is doing magic. Either that or you've had too many drinks already, as I'm sure I've already had. Somehow, though, I don't think that this is a typo.

The one thing I did think was a typo was to pour the drink, ice and all, into the cocktail glass. That's seldom done unless it is a blended drink. One could do that, but it would destroy the subtle flavors that the drink has going for it. Sure, you could blend it, but you'd want more sugar.

This cocktail comes out pretty dry and stiff. If there's any magic to it, it is the idea of mixing three spirits that don't always work well together. Applejack and brandy go well together; as do brandy and bourbon--but all three? The trick, it seems, is to use only a few dashes of bourbon as vanilla flavor. You might as well use vanilla extract. My impression is that the whole mix isn't as sweet as it could be, but I didn't mind. I was drinking a lot of cocktails at the time.

• 1 oz. applejack (Laird's Applejack 86 used)
• 1 oz. Brandy (Korbel used)
• several dashes bourbon (Virginia Gentleman used)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice.  Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. (Alternative recipe: blend all ingredients with a tsp. of suger and pour into the cocktail glass.)

Fall Leaves Old Fashioned (Original Recipe)

 

There's a lot of ways to get smoke in a cocktail. You can do it directly with a smoker or use a smoked whiskey like MurLarkey's Smokehouse. This time I wanted to add a particular kind of smoke without the scent of bacon or salt. To do this, I infused bourbon with lapsang souchong black tea. This tea is smoked over pine embers. It has a tarry taste and a scent like a dying campfire. I love how it pairs with the sweetness of bourbon. Adding a teaspoon of the tea to a cup of bourbon adds complexity to a one-note blend of cheap bourbon. 

In the photo I've shown the used leaves (left) next to the unused dry leaves. To make the infusion, simply add one teaspoon of tea per cup of spirits. It only needs to infuse for 24 hours, after which the whiskey will only get darker with the richness of the leaf tea, not the smoke. Strain out the tea using a fine strainer or tea strainer before using it. \

• 2 oz. Lapsang Souchong infused bourbon
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• dash of orange bitters
• orange peel twist

Combine sugar, bourbon and bitters with ice in a mixing glass. Stir and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass full of fresh ice. Twist orange peel over the drink and drop it in.