*CATIE submission for Innovative Mixology

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1 Bar Fly s Bliss* *CATIE submission for Innovative Mixology A new cocktail in classic style For a speakeasy themed event, Bar Fly s Bliss was created as a modern reimagining of a classic prohibition cocktail. Starting with creating our own Black Pepper and Rosemary Bitters, the cocktail was born to celebrate with 150 reveling guests in an 1920 s style roaring underground club.

2 Bar Fly s Bliss* Recently I had the great opportunity to spend some time in Louisville, Kentucky where I found a bit of unlikely inspiration! Cocktails are enjoying quite a renaissance nationwide, but if you don t know where to go, you may never see the great strides being made! At a downtown Louisville restaurant I found myself belly-up to the bar in great awe over the bartenders use of essences, bitters, tinctures, herbs and infusions. This inspired me to return home with a new philosophy which focused on fresh ingredients, classic techniques, and of course plenty of research and education. My first challenge was to create a beverage menu for a Speakeasy Themed Event. With cocktail trends where they are and the added popularity of shows such as HBO s Boardwalk Empire, prohibition and the speakeasy are hotter than ever! The most famous cocktails to thrive in this era were the Old Fashioned, Bacardi Cocktail, French 75, Sidecar, Colony Cocktail, and Sazerac. My goal was to create a cocktail that COULD have been around in the day, while using some great ingredients of our modern times. The result was a Bar Fly s Bliss. The first thing I wanted to do was make my own custom bitters. I began to research ingredients and methods on the internet and came up with a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do: Not to recreate the usual aromatic bitters available in stores, but rather bring some delicious flavors to accent a cocktail and add layers and depth.

3 I decided to make my very own Black Pepper and Rosemary Bitters. Black Pepper Rosemary Bitters 2 cups grain alcohol 8 ounces dried orange peel, minced 1 tablespoon juniper berries 1 tablespoon coriander seed 2 tablespoons black peppercorns 4 sprigs fresh rosemary Water ¾ cup granulated sugar DAY TWO OF BITTERS Method to prepare bitters (Please allow 25 days from start to finish) Makes about 24 ounces. Put the Spices in a jar and add alcohol Seal, store in cool dark place 15 days, giving it a good shake every day Strain through cheesecloth to separate liquids and solids. Squeeze solid ingredients as dry as possible. Save liquid in a jar. Muddle the dry ingredients into a fine mixture, place in a saucepan and add 4 cups of water Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer 5-7 minutes Pour this mixture into a 2 nd jar and allow to sit 5 days, again giving it a good shake once a day. Strain spice mixture through a cheesecloth, discard the solid ingredients, and combine two liquid jars. In a small pan, heat ¾ sugar to a dark brown liquid, remove from heat, allow to cool, add to alcohol and water mixture. (Sugar may solidify but will dissolve) Seal the jar and let rest for 5 days. Strain again and store in dark glass dropper bottles. (up to 12 months)

4 It was quite a joy to watch the color of the bitters change over the weeks that passed, occasionally taking a quick sniff! At the end of the process I called it a great success, the herbal bite of the bitters peaked with an aroma of fresh cracked black pepper and the rosemary aromas lingered. DAY TWENTY OF BITTERS Bitters are considered to be the Salt and Pepper of a cocktail, so the next step was to build a prohibition-style cocktail that would benefit from this new ingredient. We started with gin (also enjoying a rebirth!) and added a splash of a fabulous Mexican herbal liqueur, Licor de Damiana. Next came St-Germain, the classic French elderflower liqueur. (While bitters are sometimes described as the salt and pepper, St-Germain earns the nickname bar ketchup because it makes everything taste better!) Some just-squeezed grapefruit and my custom bitters finished the concoction.

5 The result was herbal and floral, naturally sweet with great depth! It was a huge hit! It was presented on a cocktail menu that included a Tom Collins, Culross Cocktail, and a Classic Manhattan. Bar snacks included five-spice pecans, charcuterie, and duck prosciutto with sherry gastrique.

6 And finally the recipe: Bar Fly s Bliss 2 oz gin 1 oz St-Germain (elderflower liqueur) 1 oz Licor de Damiana 1 oz fresh squeezed grapefruit juice 2 dashes black pepper rosemary bitters Ice Rosemary sprig garnish In a cocktail shaker combine ice and all liquid ingredients. Shake and strain into serving glass. Garnish with rosemary sprig.