Natural Sage

My Third Award Winning Cocktail. I am properly proud of this drink. I took inspiration from my surroundings. I made a balanced drink which showcased the base. And I sold it like a champion. It's kind of a pain given the prep work required but the texture is so gorgeous. The inspiration was a nice brown butter sage sauce with truffle we'd use in the Italian restaurant I used to work in for our agnoletti. Old Forester Old Fashioned Face Off Philly Champion 2017. 

1 1/2 oz. Old Forester Classic 86 Proof

1/2 oz. Averna Amaro

1/4 oz. Brown Sugar Butter Syrup

2 dashes Dram Wild Mountain Sage Bitters

10 drops Bitter End Chesapeake Bay Bitters

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass with a large cube. Garnish with a sage leaf and a fresh lemon twist.

To make Brown Sugar Butter Syrup:

Add 1 stick of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until melted and lightly browned. Add 1 cup water with 2 cups of brown sugar and stir until all is dissolved and uniform. Strain into a wide mouth container and place in the refrigerator. After a few hours take out the syrup. Poke a hole through the solid puck that will have formed. Fine strain the syrup into a bottle of your choice. Store in the fridge.

The culinary inspiration of this cocktail turned it into something I am genuinely proud of. I would argue it is the current high point of my creativity as a bartender. I hope I can come back to this variety of creative drive.

"There are moments when all anxiety and stated toil are becalmed in the infinite leisure and repose of nature."
- Henry David Thoreau