2 Clement Barrel Select
House Suger Cube
1 dash Peychauds
Ouzo rinse
Muddle sugar cube and bitters. Add rum, rocks, and stir. Mist rox glass with ouzo. Strain to rox glass over new ice. Flamed orange coin.
This cocktail is a fairly straightforward riff on a Sazerac, which happens to be my favorite cocktail. The Clement drinks remarkably like a whiskey, despite being an agricole rum. Even the way the Select Barrel is produced (hand picked barrels chosen for their vanilla and caramel tones; minimum of 3 years spent in wood) mimics the laws of bourbon country. Fall and winter lead people toward the darker spirits, and if we cannot carry a straight American whiskey, let’s evoke that spirit in the form of a rum.
The Sazerac is traditionally made with rye, and is one of the classic New Orleans cocktails. The entire point of the drink is that you’re just dressing up the spirit itself, so less is more. Peychaud’s is a style of bitters that is native to the city and is the definitive ingredient to making a Sazerac. It is Gentian-based, but adds an intense licorice and floral aroma to a drink, with a hint of mint (it’s not a bad idea to throw some Peychaud’s in a Julep). We make our own sugar cubes but infusing sugar with Peychauds and then baking them. This means less processing, and a more consistent size for the cube than store bought, which in turn means a more consistent cocktail. Ouzo is a Greek anise-flavored aperitif, and we source ours local from Short Path in Everett. We only rinse the glass so that we gain the complexity of the aromatic, but we avoid watering down the true spirit to the drink. Sante!
BETTY WHITE
1 Brennivin
1 Gran Classico
1 Carpano
Dash Coffee Bitters
Stir. Coupe. No garnish
Betty White. You all know Betty White. Sliced Bread is actually the best thing since Her. She’s a classic, and a classy lady, who attributes her incredibly long life and career to vodka, coffee, and hotdogs. This cocktail is a Negroni variation (classic), using Brennivin (Icelandic aquavit, very similar to a vodka). Gran Classico takes the place of the Campari, a more citrus and gentian focused bitter. Carpano Antica is the original red vermouth. All classic ingredients, with a splash of that caffeine to keep us all going. For drinkers that love spirit-forward cocktails.
BELLADONNA
1.75 Gin
.75 Lemon
.5 Simple
2 dash Kirsten's Cardamom Bitters
Shake. Dbl strain to coupe w/ ½ sugar rim.
This cocktail is deceptively simple. It is simply a sour, but with the addition of a home-made Cardamom bitter that adds an incredibly alluring floral aroma. There is a delicate subtlety to this cocktail that makes you want to just keep sipping. Belladonna (which means “beautiful lady” in Italian) is an alternative name for Deadly Nightshade, a poisonous flower in the tomato family. It is also the title of Stevie Nicks’s most celebrated solo album. Seriously, give it a listen. Or better yet, check out concert footage from this era of her career. She’s alluring, delicate, and dangerous, just like this drink.
707 MERIDIAN
1 Mr. Katz
1 Applejack
.5 Amaro del Etna
.5 Allspice & Black Pepper Syrup
2 dash Peychauds
1 dash Mezcal
Stir. Coupe. No garnish.
If I had to place this cocktail into a family, it’s kindof an exploded Manhattan. Mr. Katz and Applejack combine to form your whiskey base, and the Amaro del Etna and pepper syrup would make up your sweet vermouth. Peychauds and Mezcal round out the edges as your bitters. Note that on the menu mezcal is not mentioned: we are using just a dropper full, wherein it acts almost like a pinch of salt would in cooking. It doesn’t add much to the flavor, but the texture of the cocktail and harmony of the other components are enhanced by it.
If Applejack and Rye are the flavor and liquor of the season (cold weather = brown booze), the title is a nod to this time of year. 707 Meridian Avenue is the home of one Mike Myers. And I don’t mean Austin Powers.
GIVE IT A GO-GO
1.5 Brennivin
1 Beet Syrup
1 Lemon
Soda
Shake. Strain to collins. Top with soda. Thyme Sprig.
Beets??? In a cocktail??? Heck yeah! When all the fruits are in season in the spring and summer we use them. Well, ‘tis the season of the root vegetable, and with all of their natural sweetness beets are pretty much dirt candy. We make the syrup by just chopping up beets and adding a little bit of sugar, water, and fresh ginger. Cook it down, and you get this lovely, earthy sweetness that gives a drink the same color a blueberry would. From there it is just a beet-flavored Tom Collins. Refreshing, pretty, and yet still something that will keep during the cold.
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