Cocktails are hot and we’re not talking your father’s martini. Unless, you’ve found a way to dress it up with fresh herbs. Something so many of today’s bartenders are doing.
During a recent trip to Pittsburgh, where we stayed at the young, hip Ace Hotel in the city’s East Liberty neighborhood, I sampled a Cosmo at the lobby bar. The blend of vodka and cranberry-hibiscus syrup was subtly spiked with orange bitters and sage for a complex, fresh flavor. This was just one of four mixed drinks that required botanical attention. Basil, chipotle and tarragon had supporting roles in other concoctions.
After a few appetizers, we ubered to Wigle Distillery’s Barrelhouse and Whiskey Garden across the Allegheny River. There the Botanist cocktail — gin, simple syrup and bitters – required my admiration. What sounds simple would have been nothing without herbs.
Audra Kelly, Barrelhouse and Cocktail Program Manager, created it as an experiment. “We had some sage, thyme, and maple syrup that we had been using in three separate cocktails,” she recalls. “I was drinking the gin and thought, geeze, all of these things would taste amazing together and really showcase our Barrel Rested Ginever.”
So, she created a sage-thyme-maple simple syrup that teases a little sweetness into a tumbler of iced gin and bitters.
The Botanist has been a staple for three years. “We currently have three herb-based cocktails, The Botanist (sage and thyme), Mint Julep Old Fashioned (mint), and Just Peachy (basil),” says Audra. “We also pump up the herb garnishes during the season at the Barrelhouse patio location.”
“We grow all of the herbs that we use for cocktails on site. We will all be really sad when fall comes and we no longer have such an abundance of fresh herbs.”
The Botanist
- 2 ounces barrel-rested gin
- 0.5 ounce sage, thyme, and maple simple syrup
- 3 dashes rosemary lavender bitters
- 3 dashes pomander orange bitters
Combine, stir, pour over a giant ice cube and garnish with an orange twist.
Sage, Thyme and Maple Simple Syrup
- 1 cup boiling water
- 5 sage leaves
- 2 thyme sprigs
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
Steep herbs in boiling water for 10 minutes, add sugar, stir, dissolve, strain and discard herbs
