Sage Advice Recipe
Leblon Cachaça, Blackberry & Sage Simple Syrup, Lemon, Lime, Whey (Clarified)
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Ingredients
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Cocktail
Blackberry & Sage Simple Syrup (yields about 10 oz)
Whey (clarified) - makes ~1 cup whey from yogurt
Method
Blackberry & Sage Simple Syrup
- 1
Cook syrup
Combine 1 cup fresh blackberries, 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Lightly muddle the blackberries in the pan, then bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer gently 5 minutes to extract color and flavor.
- 2
Infuse sage
Remove saucepan from heat and stir in 8 fresh sage leaves. Let the mixture steep and cool to room temperature, about 20–30 minutes, covered to retain aroma.
- 3
Strain and store
Strain the cooled syrup through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth, pressing solids to extract liquid. Discard solids, transfer syrup to a clean jar, refrigerate. Syrup will keep 10–14 days refrigerated.
Whey (clarified)
- 4
Collect whey
Line a fine-mesh sieve with cheesecloth or a nut milk bag set over a bowl. Spoon 2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt into the lined sieve and cover. Refrigerate and allow to drain 8–12 hours (overnight). The liquid collected in the bowl is whey; the solids left in the cloth are strained yogurt (Greek-style).
- 5
Clarify and store whey
Transfer the collected whey to a clean container and refrigerate. Use chilled whey in cocktails; it keeps about 3–5 days refrigerated. Measure out 0.25 oz per cocktail as called for in the recipe.
Cocktail Assembly
- 6
Add ingredients to shaker
Add 2 oz Leblon Cachaça, 0.75 oz Blackberry & Sage Simple Syrup, 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.5 oz fresh lime juice and 0.25 oz chilled whey into a cocktail shaker.
- 7
Dry shake (emulsify)
Without ice, seal the shaker and shake vigorously 10–15 seconds to begin emulsifying the whey with the citrus and syrup. This helps integrate and clarify the texture.
- 8
Wet shake (chill and dilute)
Add 6 ice cubes to the shaker. Shake hard for 12–15 seconds until the shaker is well chilled and slightly frosted.
- 9
Fine strain
Double-strain the cocktail into a chilled rocks glass over 1 cup fresh ice (or serve neat in a coupe if preferred) using a Hawthorne strainer and fine mesh sieve to remove small ice shards and any solids.
- 10
Garnish
Express a sage leaf over the drink by lightly clapping it between your palms near the rim to release aromatics, then float the leaf on the surface. Optionally skewer a fresh blackberry and rest it on the rim.
- 11
Serve
Serve immediately. The whey contributes a silky mouthfeel and light cloudiness that will clarify slightly over a few minutes.