Featured Cocktails (print)

“Spirits and cocktails serve double duty at festive Jewish meals whether September’s High Holy Days or the weekly Shabbat,” says Rabbi Ely Allen. Indeed, and the spirits are also used as a palate cleanser between fish and meat courses. “It’s traditional to eat both fish, linked to the element of water, and meat, linked to the earth, at Jewish holiday feasts,” Allen says. Since fish is parve—neither meat nor dairy—it may be eaten at the same meal as either one, but they may not be mixed in the mouth. “Theoretically a sip of water will do the job of separating them,” the rabbi admits. But since this is a joyful time, why not observe this ritual with a cocktail? 40 Days and 40 Nights Recipe courtesy Citron and Rose, Philadelphia 2 ounces allspice-infused rum (recipe below) ½ ounce brown sugar syrup (recipe below) ½ ounce lime juice Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray Soda In a cocktail shaker, combine the rum, brown sugar syrup and lime juice, and shake. Pour over ice into a rocks glass and top it off with Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray Soda. Allspice-Infused Rum 2 ounces toasted allspice 2 cinnamon sticks 1 750ml-bottle rum Smash the allspice and cinnamon sticks coarsely and add them to the rum. Let it sit overnight, then strain out spice bits Brown-Sugar Syrup ¾ cup brown sugar 1½ cups water In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer the sugar and water until combined, about 10 minutes. The Reb Roy Recipe courtesy Citron and Rose, Philadelphia 2 ounces Knob Creek Bourbon ½ ounce Drambuie ½ ounce barrel-aged Manischewitz 3 dashes bitters 1 prune, for garnish In a cocktail shaker, combine the Bourbon, Drambuie, Manischewitz and bitters. Add ice and shake vigorously. Serve in a rocks glass and garnish with a prune. Magic Carpet Recipe courtesy Equinox Restaurant, Washington, D.C. 2 ounces orange-infused vodka ½ ounce orange blossom honey syrup ¾ ounce lemon juice 1 basil leaf In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine orange-infused vodka, orange blossom honey syrup and lemon juice. Shake well, strain and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with the basil leaf. Beirutopia Recipe courtesy Equinox Restaurant, Washington, D.C. 1½ ounces vodka 2 ounces fresh squeezed blood orange juice ½ ounce lemon juice ½ ounce vanilla bean simple syrup (recipe below) In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine vodka, blood orange juice, lemon juice and vanilla bean simple syrup. Shake, strain, pour into a martini glass and garnish with a lemon peel. Vanilla-Bean Simple Syrup 2 cups sugar 1 cup water 2 vanilla beans In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Split the vanilla beans in half lengthwise and place them in a heatproof jar or bottle. Pour hot syrup over the vanilla beans and let sit for 8–10 hours. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week. Autumn Solstice Recipe courtesy Equinox Restaurant, Washington, D.C. 2 ounces Maker’s Mark 1½ ounces apple and ginger purée (recipe below) ¾ teaspoon cinnamon-cardamom syrup (recipe below) 2 dashes of orange bitters Orange peel for garnish In a cocktail shaker, combine Maker’s Mark, apple and ginger purée, cinnamon-cardamom syrup and orange bitters. Stir the mixture well with a bar spoon to completely blend the purée. Serve in a rocks glass and garnish with an orange peel. Apple-and-Ginger Purée 2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into cubes ¼ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated Place apples in a steamer and grate ¼ teaspoon of fresh ginger on top. Steam the apples until tender. Blend to the consistency of applesauce. Cinnamon-Cardamom Syrup 2 cups water 2 cups granulated sugar 1 cinnamon stick 4 pods green cardamom Bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add the sugar, and stir, then remove from heat. Add the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods, and let chill overnight covered. The next morning, fine strain the mixture into another container and reserve. Pomegranate Martini Recipe courtesy Sean Marron, director of wine and spirits, and Ryan Koemans, mixologist, Bistro at Canyons, Park City, Utah. 1½ ounces Absolut Mandarin Vodka ¼ ounce pomegranate juice ½ ounce triple sec 1 ounce simple syrup Fresh lime peel for garnish In a cocktail shaker, combine all ingredients except garnish. Fill the shaker ¼ full of crushed ice, and shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with the lime peel. The Bistro Bellini Recipe courtesy Sean Marron, director of wine and spirits, and Ryan Koemans, mixologist, Bistro at Canyons, Park City, Utah. 2 ounces The Perfect Purée White-Peach Purée 3 ounces Bartenura Moscato d’Asti Fresh apple wedge for garnish Pour the fruit purée into a champagne flute. Slowly pour the Moscato d’Asti into the flute, being careful of overflow as the drink foams up. Gently stir with a bar spoon to blend. Garnish with the apple wedge. Nespresso Coffee Mojito Recipe courtesy Nespresso Sensory Cocktail Team 7 mint leaves, plus 1 for garnish 1½ teaspoons sugar 1½ ounces Cruzan unflavored light rum ¾ ounce fresh lime juice 1 ounce capsule Nespresso Ristretto coffee Equipment used: Nespresso coffee maker In a cocktail shaker glass, muddle the mint with sugar, and add all other ingredients except Nespresso. Add ice and shake vigorously. Then strain the mixture over a rocks glass filled with crushed ice and float carefully with Nespresso. Garnish with the remaining mint sprig. Nespresso Ristretto 1 ounce capsule Nespresso Ristretto 2 cups of water Preheat water according to coffee maker instructions. Choose desired flow speed to pour coffee. Check out new school kosher wine and food pairings >>>