Moonglade Recipe

Prepare and smoke sunchokes

Peel and roughly chop sunchokes. Place chopped sunchokes in a small, heatproof metal or ceramic container with a lid. Light a small pinch of apple or beech wood chips in a smoking gun or on foil until smoldering and insert into the container; cover to capture smoke and let sit 5–10 minutes to impart a gentle smoky note.

Infuse with spirit

Transfer the smoked sunchokes to a clean jar. Add neutral grain spirit to cover. Seal and let macerate at room temperature for 3–4 hours (or up to 12 hours for more extraction). Gently shake the jar every hour.

Strain and sweeten

Strain the infused spirit through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a small mixing container, pressing solids to extract liquid. Stir in honey and 1 oz water (start with 1 oz) until fully dissolved. Taste and adjust: add up to 0.5 oz additional water if too strong or up to 0.25 oz more honey if you want sweeter spirit. Chill before using. Yields ~6 oz; use 0.5 oz per cocktail.

Crush cracked grains of paradise lightly with a mortar and pestle or back of a spoon. Place bay leaves and cracked grains in a small heatproof vessel. Pour 3 oz near-boiling water over them and steep 6–8 minutes, covered. Strain through a fine mesh and cool to refrigerator temperature. Measure out 0.25 oz (a quarter ounce) concentrate per cocktail; keep leftover refrigerated for 24–48 hours.

Chill: Place a mixing glass and a coupe or Nick & Nora glass in the freezer for 5–10 minutes, or fill the serving glass with ice and water to chill while you prepare.

Combine ingredients: In a mixing glass add 2 oz navy-strength gin, 0.5 oz Yellow Chartreuse, 0.5 oz smoke sunchoke & honey spirit, and 0.25 oz bay leaf & grains of paradise tea concentrate. If you like a touch more complexity, add 1 dash aromatic bitters.

Stir: Fill the mixing glass with large clear ice. Stir gently for 30–45 seconds (roughly 20–30 turns) until properly chilled and slightly diluted — aim for about 20–25% dilution by volume for a stirred spirit-forward drink.

Strain and garnish: Double-strain (optional if tea concentrate has fines) into the chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass. Express a large lemon twist over the drink to release oils, then pass the twist around the rim and drop it in as garnish.

Serve with accoutrements: Present the cocktail alongside a small board of curated cheeses and pickled accoutrements. Arrange the 2 oz firm aged cheese, 1 oz soft cheese, pickled cornichons, pickled pearl onions, and toasted walnuts on a small plate so guests can alternate sips with bites.