The 12 Cocktails of Christmas, Day Five: The ‘Sour Spice’
Recipes inspired by global craft cocktail culture, shared this holiday season by Melissa Rayworth and Ted Anthony.
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This year, in lieu of the holiday card we didn’t have time to create, we welcome you to The 12 Cocktails of Christmas — a dozen recipes and thoughts on what makes them work. We’ll continue updating the top drink each day until we’ve reached a dozen (yes, we’ll get done right after Christmas, but our schedules have been pretty crazed with new job adventures, current job obligations, two teenagers, two cats — the list, just like yours, goes on).
Hope this brings you all some holiday cheer. Please do share these recipes with your friends and family, and please take a moment this year to raise a glass — no matter what it may hold — to one another and to all the adventures and good things ahead in 2020.
Happy holidays,
THE FIFTH COCKTAIL OF CHRISTMAS: The ‘Sour Spice’
The fifth cocktail of Christmas was made with one of Ted’s first homemade bitters recipes.
Before leaving Thailand, he wanted to capture some of the local fruits and flavors we loved but couldn’t bring home with us. So he researched bitters-making and combined some of our favorite things — northern Thai coffee and the most delicious tropical fruit we’ve ever found, ripe mangosteen — into a fermented distillation.
You can substitute another type of bitters. But if it sounds like fun, we encourage you to look at some of the bitters-making advice and books you can find online and perhaps experiment with making your own.
This drink is also made with a homemade vodka infusion. We steeped fresh tarragon and pieces of candied ginger in a basic vodka for several days to create this favorite of ours. In our previous recipes, you’ll find simple instructions for infusing spirits.
(Note: Despite the name, this drink isn’t truly sour. But the distinctive tang of ginger from two different sources and the dash of lime offer a great counterpoint to the sweetness in the syrup.)
THE ‘SOUR SPICE’
3 oz. tarragon/candied ginger-infused vodka
1½ oz. ginger liqueur (we like Domaine de Canton, and not just because the bottle is gorgeous)
1 ½ oz. simple syrup
1 oz. lime juice
6 dashes clove/Chiang Rai coffee/mangosteen bitters (or bitters of your choice)
(optional: ½ egg white)Shake first five ingredients with ice and strain into a coupe glass, then garnish with a small piece of candied ginger or a shaving of fresh ginger. (This drink can also be made with a bit of egg white for froth. In that case, dry shake and then shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass). Makes two.
(Note: the recipe card below was written for one, rather than two. But it’s way more fun to share this with someone you love.)
WHY WE LIKED THIS ONE: It’s all about the ginger, which comes from several sources including the bit of garnish added at the end. (The bit of candied ginger looks nice perched on the rim of the glass. But if you let it drop in once you begin enjoying the drink, it’s even better.) We love the warmth that ginger offers and the way it somehow brings all the other flavors in this drink together. There’s a holiday feeling to this cocktail, thanks to the lovely golden color and the hints of clove and tarragon.
Previous libations in this series:
- The First Cocktail of Christmas: “Opening Day.”
- The Second Cocktail of Christmas: “Afternoon Delight.”
- The Third Cocktail of Christmas: “Subourbon Oasis.”
- The Fourth Cocktail of Christmas: “The Phipps Conservatory”
- The entire story and collected cocktails.
The same motivation that led us to these drinks led Melissa to do these stories while we were living in Thailand. Check them out:
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©2019, Melissa Rayworth and Ted Anthony. All rights reserved.
