Orange & Rye Recipe

Cocktail

1. 1

   Prepare glass

   Chill an old-fashioned or rocks glass in the freezer for 5–10 minutes or fill it with ice water while you build the cocktail.

2. 2

   Make demerara simple syrup (if not ready)

   Combine 2 parts demerara sugar and 1 part hot water (for example ½ cup demerara sugar and ¼ cup water). Stir until sugar dissolves. Cool before using. Use 0.25 oz in the drink.

3. 3

   Juice

   Fresh-press blood orange to yield 1 oz of juice and squeeze a lemon to yield 0.25 oz of juice. Strain both juices through a fine mesh to remove pulp and seeds if desired.

4. 4

   Build and stir

   In a mixing glass or shaker filled with ice, add 2 oz Michter's Rye, 0.5 oz Solerno blood orange liqueur, 1 oz blood orange juice, 0.25 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.25 oz demerara simple syrup and 2 dashes orange bitters. Stir briskly for 20–30 seconds until well chilled and slightly diluted.

5. 5

   Prepare garnish

   Discard ice/water from the chilled rocks glass. Cut a 1.5–2 inch strip of fresh orange peel. Hold the peel over the glass with the outer (zesty) side facing down and give a firm twist to express the oils over the surface of the cocktail. Then rub the peel edge around the glass rim.

6. 6

   Strain and serve

   Strain the stirred cocktail over a large ice cube or sphere in the chilled rocks glass.

7. 7

   Finish with cherry and peel

   Drop one Luxardo cherry into the glass. Lay the expressed orange peel on top of the drink or skewer it with the cherry as garnish.

8. 8

   Optional: adjust sweetness

   Taste and, if necessary, add an additional 0.125–0.25 oz demerara syrup for more sweetness or a few more dashes of orange bitters to brighten.