By Tony Cross

Every now and then, I’m asked to create a drink for a special occasion, whether it be someone’s birthday, anniversary, or a corporate event/fundraiser that has a theme. The challenge of inventing something unique for someone, or a lot of people, has always been fun. One of the first drinks that I made for a large number of people was requested from this very magazine, back before I started this column. I was excited and very nervous and, though the drink came out great, I would definitely go back to the drawing board now to make the cocktail a bit simpler. Finding inspiration for a cocktail can come in many ways, e.g., a particular ingredient or spirit, the season, a color, or even a song or movie. This month I’ll discuss a few that I’ve done over the past year.

Half-Jack
For Fair Game Beverage Company in the Abundance.org Bereavement Ball

So, if you didn’t know, I’ve got a huge crush on this distillery. I’ve done a few events with the folks from Fair Game, and I’ve always had a blast. This time, distiller Chris Jude hit me up to create a cocktail with one of his spirits for this “interesting little themed party.” He wasn’t kidding. On their Facebook page The Bereavement Ball (Dead Pets & Onions) is, “An Evening of Exquisite Misery. Under the full moon, we gather to wallow in collective melancholy, celebrate our impermanence and revel in life’s slow unraveling.” What? I dug further into the theme of the event and found that it’s based on a play, The Onion Cellar. The play debuted in 2006, and was written by Amanda Palmer. She “based the title of the production on a chapter from Gunter Grass’s The Tin Drum. In the novel, The Onion Cellar is a bar in post-war Germany where people go to share painful memories and cry. While drinking and talking, the clients peel onions, both to make crying easier and to lessen the shame for those afraid to express their feelings openly.” Thank you, Wikipedia. OK, so maybe something with onions? Eh. I wasn’t really thrilled about that. Then, through more digging, I found out that Palmer is one half of the band The Dresden Dolls, and she used one of the band’s songs, “Half-Jack,” in the play. There we go. I decided to use Fair Game Apple Brandy. Apple brandy is sometimes referred to as “applejack.” Both are made with apples, but true applejack is blended with neutral grain spirit, and must be aged four years in used bourbon barrels. The cocktail I came up with has 2 1/2 ounces of liquid, half of it apple brandy.

Half-Jack

1 1/4 ounces Fair Game Beverage Company’s Apple Brandy

3/4 ounce Cynar

1/2 ounce Dolin Dry Vermouth

1 dash celery bitters

Combine and build ingredients in a rocks glass with ice. Stir until desired dilution. Express the oils of a lemon peel over the cocktail before placing it in the glass.

Finders Keepers
For Patrica (located at 280 NW Broad St.)

Trish Deerwester, owner of Patricia, has been a staunch supporter of Reverie Cocktails from the get-go. Trish’s business, as well as a few others (I’m looking at you, Louise and Betsy of Eloise), really helped get the word out about my new venture. I’ve been asked to do a couple of pop-ups at Patricia, and this drink is the first one that I did last spring. Talking with Trish, I discovered that in addition to our shared love for the classic Manhattan cocktail, she also is a big fan of tequila. We agreed that we wanted to keep the cocktail simple, but with a spin. A few weeks prior, I messed around with an apricot liqueur when making margaritas. I poured them over crushed ice, and they tasted amazing. Apricot it was, sans the apricot liqueur. Instead, I set out to make an apricot jam. I ordered apricots through Nature’s Own, and gave it a whirl. I got lucky, and the jam came out great. Now, for the name: Patricia’s website is www.patriciafinds.com. I joked with Trish that this drink came out so well, that she wouldn’t want to share it with anyone else . . . and there it was, “Finders Keepers.”

1 1/2 ounces Don Julio Blanco Tequila

Scant 1/2 ounce Del Maguey Vida Mezcal

3/4 ounce lime juice

Heaping teaspoon apricot jam

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and add ice. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds and pour everything into a rocks glass. No garnish.

Apricot Jam

1/2 pound dried apricots

3 cups water

1 pound sugar

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 ounce cognac

Dice apricots, and place in a pot with water. Refrigerate and leave overnight. The next day, bring the water to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes. Keep the heat on low, add sugar and lemon zest/juice. Stir until the sugar is dissolved completely. Bring back to a boil and start to test the jam after the 15-minute mark. When it starts to stick ever so slightly to the spoon, turn off the heat. Be careful, this can go from “jam” to “adhesive” in a minute’s time. Add cognac when heat is off.

Zero F#%$
For Me, Myself, and I

Sometimes what inspires can be found right under your nose. That says a lot for me, since I have a big schnoz. One night I came home tired and aggravated. I wanted some of my favorite spirits mixed together. I grabbed a few bottles, juxtaposing them on my counter. I wasn’t sure it would work but luck was on my side. It came out way better than I expected. I liked it enough to write down the specs in my little black book.

1 ounce Mezcal Alipús Santa Ana

1 ounce Flor de Caña Extra Dry

1/4 ounce Campari

1 ounce lime juice

1/2 ounce simple syrup (2:1)

2 dashes Angostura Orange Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker, add ice,
and shake it like it owes you money. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Express the oils of an orange peel before placing it in the glass. Now chill out.  PS

Tony Cross is a bartender who runs cocktail catering
company
Reverie Cocktails
in Southern Pines.

Recommended Posts