Don't Let Summer End Without Having the Season's Best Cocktails
While we’ll never turn a perfect dry martini away, there are better cocktails to enjoy during the endlessly warm nights of summer. We turned to our very talented bartender friend, Forrest Hudes (who also happens to be a woodworker and musician, naturally) for some ideas on reinventing classics. He spent the day with us at Elysian, a beautiful restaurant and event space tucked away on Los Angeles’ east side, giving us lessons in beet syrup, rose-infused vodka, and the delights of a subtle spin on a classic Old Fashioned. Below, five of his favorites to see us all through summer.
The Jitterbug Perfume
This drink comes from the millennia-long journey undergone in Tom Robbins’ novel of the same name to find the perfect perfume recipe. Along with lemon and jasmine, the secret ingredient turns out to be beets. The syrup takes some time and care to make, but at the end you have a rich crimson syrup and some sugar boiled beets that are great for a garnish or on top of a dessert. — Forest Hudes
Makes 1
2 ounces white rum or Cachaca
1 ounce lemon juice
¾ ounces Greenbar Jasmine Liqueur
½ ounce Beet Syrup*
For beet syrup:
3 medium-sized beets, peeled and cut into small cubes
1½ cups demerara sugar
Combine rum, lemon juice, jasmine liqueur, and beet syrup in a shaker with ice.
Shake and strain into a martini glass.
To make the beet syrup:
In a pot bring 2 cups of water, sugar, and beets to boil.
Lower to medium heat and continue to cook, stirring, for 20 minutes or until beets are tender.
Fine strain to remove all solid material.
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Dorian Gray
This surprising-looking drink comes from Jo Leon Guerrero of Huckleberry Bar in Brooklyn. We worked there together and I brought this recipe with me to the West Coast where it has been a crowd pleaser many times. It may not offer you eternal youth, but like the fictional Dorian Gray, Basil will be your best friend. Try infusing your tequila with black pepper for a few days for a twist with a kick. — Forest Hudes
MAKES 1
2 ounces tequila
1 ounce lemon luice
¾ ounces Basil Syrup*
½ ounce Crème de Violette
For basil syrup:
1 generous cup of basil leaves
2 cups white sugar
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into an ice-filled tumbler and garnish with a basil leaf.
To make the basil syrup:
In a pot, bring 2 cups water, sugar, and basil to boil. Turn down to a simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Blend on purée for 2 minutes or until leaves are completely broken down. Fine strain to remove all solid material. Should be a deep green color and smell like an Italian garden.
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Moses Supposes
A floral twist on a Sidecar. Infusions are a great and amazingly simple way to impress people and add a lot of flavor to a drink. Dried rose petals will make a great infusion, but if you have fresh roses in the garden and no one to give them to an even more delicate flavor will be imparted. The color of this drink, especially contrasted with a fresh mint leaf garnish, is a real eye catcher. Light and refreshing, it will still leave you a little rosey if you aren’t careful. — Forest Hudes
MAKES 1
2 ounces Rose Infused Vodka*
¾ ounce lemon juice
½ ounce Cointreau
¼ ounce simple syrup
Sprig of mint
Mint leaf and mini dried rosebud, for garnish
For Rose Infused Vodka:
¾ cup dried rose buds
2 tablespoons rosehips
Combine first four ingredients plus the leaves from the mint sprig in a shaker with ice. Shake, strain into a martini glass, and garnish with a mint leaf and a dried rose.
To make the Rose Infused Vodka:
Add dried rose buds and rosehips to a standard 750ml bottle of vodka. Shake well. Let sit for 48-72 hours, shaking occasionally.
Fine strain the infusion to remove all solid material. All infusions end up a little bit different, so taste along the way to know when it is time to strain.
The Way Back When
It is always good to have a few Old Fashioned variations up your sleeve. In an environment of basically three ingredients, little changes can make a big impact. The marriage of the yuzu and lavender makes for something citrus-y, floral, and delicious—it also makes this one slightly lighter. Use demerara syrup, not simple or a sugar cube. It is no harder to make and will add a very noticeable depth of flavor to your drink. White sugar really doesn’t belong anywhere near an Old Fashioned. This recipe features two Los Angeles companies, Miracle Mile Bitters Co. and Greenbar Craft Distillery. — Forest Hudes
MAKES 1
2 ounces whiskey
1 barspoon (a little less than ¼ ounce) demerara syrup
2 dashes Miracle Mile Yuzu Bitters
1 dash Greenbar Lavender Bitters
1 large orange twist, to garnish
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.
Stir with a spoon for 30 seconds, then strain into a tumbler with ice.
For a impressive garnish, light a match and hold the flame up to your orange twist for a couple of seconds to release the oils. Squeeze the twist over the flame (the oils will ignite), blow out the match, run the twist along the rim of the glass, then drop in the cocktail.
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The Hank
As much as I love fancy ingredients, infusions, syrups, bitters, etc., sometimes it is best to get back to basics. For the no-nonsense drinker, there is The Hank. Named after my father, who has one every night, this was the first cocktail recipe I ever learned. A decent reposado tequila, fresh squeezed lime and orange juice, and just the right proportions will make this drink delicious. A great option for those no sugar added types, or after a long night of mixing complicated drinks. — Forest Hudes
MAKES 1
2 ounces reposado tequila
1¼ ounce lime juice
¾ ounces orange juice
lime twist, to garnish
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.
Shake and strain into an ice-filled tumbler.
Garnish with a twist of lime.
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