Cockluck #13

Scott: Too Soon?

1.0 oz Gin (used Beefeater)

1.0 oz Cynar

.75 oz Lemon Juice

.75 oz Simple Syrup

2 Lemon Wedges

Shake hard with ice and double strain into a cocktail glass.

From Sam Ross @ Milk and Honey, NYC

Michelle: Punch in the Face

1.5 oz Bourbon (Knob Creek)

.75 oz Averna Amaro

.50 oz Lemon Juice

Angostura bitters

Stir with ice, strain, and serve up.

From Cris Delhavi @ M, Columbus, OH

John: Peachy Thyme

1.0 oz Champagne

1.0 oz Hendricks Gin

1.0 oz Peach Thyme Shrub, Smoked*

0.5 oz Grapefruit Juice

Oak wood to smoke the shrub

* Peach Thyme Shrub

0.5 cup Demerara sugar

0.5 cup water

0.25 cup peach vinegar (from market district)

3 peaches cut up

10 strands of thyme

Cook over heat until simmer then take off and let cool. Strain into container. Keep in fridge

Add all ingredients except for the champagne into a shaker and shake with ice. Then strain into a smoking jar and smoke with oak wood chips. Aggravate the smoke by swishing it around with the smoke. Pour into the glasses and then top with 1 oz of chilled champagne and garnish with grapefruit peel and thyme.

Holly: The Spicy Dead Lady

1.0 oz Mezcal

1.0 oz Aperol

1.0 oz Falernum

1.0 oz Lime

Stir with ice, strain, and serve up.

From Curio, Columbus, OH

Jessica: Ginger Rhubarb Bee’s Knees

For the cocktail:

2 (1/4 inch-thick) slices of fresh ginger root

3 tbsp honey rhubarb syrup*

3 tbsp gin (used Hendricks))

0.5 tbsp lemon juice

0.5 tbsp lime juice

4 drops bergamot or homemade orange bitters

Muddle the ginger to break it up and extract the juice. Add the syrup, gin, and lemon juice, stir well, then strain the mixture through the rhubarb in the strainer. Next, pour the mixture through the strainer again, this time into a cocktail shaker filled partway with ice. Press on the rhubarb and ginger to extract flavor. Add bitters. Shake the drink vigorously for 30 seconds, then strain into a glass with ice.

*Honey Rhubarb Syrup (makes 1.5 cups syrup; enough for 8 drinks)

1 cup water

1/2 cup (6 ounces by weight) mild-flavored honey

2 cups (8 ounces by weight) rhubarb, sliced 1/2″ thick (on the diagonal, if you like)

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, honey and sliced rhubarb. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, tilting the pan gently once in a while to dissolve the honey. When the mixture reaches a simmer, immediately turn off the heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes. Gently strain the mixture into a heatproof bowl. Set aside the rhubarb in the strainer. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, then chill the syrup and alcohol until cold. (If you’re in a hurry, place the bowl in an ice bath and stir until cold.) The syrup by itself without the alcohol ginger and citrus mix will keep, refrigerated, for at least a week.

From the Bojon Gourmet, originally inspired by Carey’s Thyme and Pear Bee’s Knees

Adrian: Country Grub Gimlet

2.0 oz Gin (used Bombay)

.25 oz Cherry Peppermint Shrub

.25 oz Tomato Basil Shrub

.25 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur

.75 oz Lime Juice

Garnish with a tomato, piece of straw optional

Laura: The Forest Harvest

1.5 oz Gin (used Plymouth)

0.5 oz Cynar

0.5 oz Coriander Simple Syrup

4 heavy dashes Walnut bitters

Stir with ice, strain, and serve up.

From The Oxley Public House, Toronto, Ontario, Canada