This post comes to us courtesy of writer and mixologist Warren Bobrow.
The sun is setting a bit earlier now, and close friends are gathering outside for the last eating and drinking events of the season. We still have some evenings left under the stars before fall fully sets in.
Instead of drinking lightly scented, crisp white wines with our dinners, our palates are beginning to reset towards darker, more aromatic flavors. Alcohol levels in our cocktails are also a bit higher now with the cooler weather, sometimes for flavor and other times for the body-warming aspects of a carefully mixed drink.
The Mount Washington Slushy Cocktail is a creative example of a handheld fall warmer. It combines the earthy aromatics of maple syrup frozen into ice cubes, along with the peppery, spicy flavors of rye whiskey. Then in a nod to the classic Sazerac cocktail, there is a touch of the mysterious liquor absinthe.
The Mount Washington Slushy
Spring water as needed
Regular ice cubes as needed
6 drops Angostura bitters combined with finely chopped orange zest to make your own “orange bitters”
A few scant drops of absinthe
2 shots rye whiskey or Canadian whiskey
Freshly cut orange rind
Homemade brandied cherries (recipe below) and/or fresh mint for serving
Put about 1 Tbs. Grade A maple syrup into each compartment in an ice cube tray, cover with spring water and place in the freezer to create “maple ice.” Do this the morning before preparing your cocktails to give the ice a chance to solidify.
To a cocktail shaker, add a few drops of maple syrup and a few cubes of regular ice. Add the bitters and absinthe to the shaker. Add the whiskey, then shake until frost appears on the outside of the shaker.
Rub the rim of a short tumbler glass or mint julep cup with a freshly cut orange rind. Gently squeeze the rind over a flame, then place in the glass, if desired.
Strain the liquors into the glass, add a few cubes of the maple ice and garnish with a homemade brandied cherry and/or fresh mint. Serves 1.
Homemade Brandied Cherries: Wash and pit a few pints of dark red cherries. Place the cherries in a sterilized jar and cover with applejack or an inexpensive brandy. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least a week or more.
What you will have after a few weeks of steeping are high-quality cocktail cherries — and they make great hostess gifts, too!
About the author: Warren Bobrow is the Food and Drink Editor of the 501c3 non profit Wild Table on Wild River Review located in Princeton, New Jersey. Warren was an Iron Mixology Judge at the Charleston Wine and Food Festival 2012. He attended Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans in 2011. Warren has published over three hundred articles in fewer than three years since his reinvention from executive assistant in private banking to author. Warren writes with a unique free-form style. He is a writer/mixologist on everything from cocktail flavoring and Biodynamic/organic wines to restaurant reviews. He writes for Edible Jersey, Voda Magazine, Foodista, Tasting Panel, Beverage News and Total Food Service Magazine. Warren is the “On Whiskey” columnist for OKRA Magazine in New Orleans part of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. He was born and raised in Morristown, NJ on a Biodynamic farm.
7 comments
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This piece was a liejafcket that saved me from drowning.
I love the idea of maple ice — snowy weather is what makes the maple sap run, so it seems like the perfect natural circle! As for bitters, could I just use Peychaud’s? My New Orleans buddies tell me they’re awesome with absinthe.
Thanks for another inspiring cocktail post, Warren!
I love the idea of maple ice — snowy weather is what makes the maple sap run, so it seems like the perfect natural circle! As for bitters, could I just use Peychaud’s? My New Orleans buddies tell me they’re awesome with absinthe.
Thanks for another inspiring cocktail post, Warren!
Sounds like a delicious cocktail for a crisp fall evening but even more delicious is that gorgeous picture – I do have to agree with one of the comments that a book of cocktails and photography such as this is in order.