Amaro Lucano Affogato

I have had the opportunity to travel to Italy on quite a few occasions, some for work, some for school, and others for pleasure.  After every trip I have felt a part of myself shift - and with each shift I would make a promise to myself to keep a part of the Italian life in my day to day life.  Some trips it was Spritz culture, some a dedication to Italian gardens and lengthy summertime lunches, and others it was the architecture of Italy's legendary cities.  

This summer I have been reminiscing about those trips to Italy, and enjoying Amaro Affogatos drizzled in Amaro Lucano, the quintessential Italian Amaro.  It's truly amazing how one bite can instantly transport me back to Italy, the feeling of being young and excitable, and the latent promise of Italian summers.  

Drizzle Amaro Lucano and a shot of espresso over a few scoops of vanilla bean gelato (the best one I can find in the market), and serve with a slice of fresh orange, a waffle cookie, and a generous pinch of macadamia nut toffee.  Serve alongside a glass of Amaro Lucano, which dates from 1894 and the recipe for which is still a closely guarded family secret.  It is pure heaven.  

Enjoy!

Amaro Lucano Affogato

1-1/2 oz Amaro Lucano

1 oz Espresso

2 Scoops Vanilla Bean Gelato

2 Tbs Macadamia Nut Toffee

Orange Slice to Garnish

Waffle Cookie to Garnish

Add gelato to a glass, and drizzle with amaro and espresso.  Crumble the macadamia nut toffee on top, and garnish with an orange slice, and half a waffle cookie.

Macadamia Nut Toffee

1/4 Cup Chopped Macadamia Nuts

1/4 Cup White Sugar

Add the sugar and nuts to a nonstick pan on low heat.  Let heat slowly as to not let the nuts burn, stirring occasionally.  After about five minutes the sugar crystals will begin to liquify, stir carefully to coat the macadamia nuts evenly.  When the sugar is completely melted, transfer the toffee to a sheet of tinfoil and let cool for about 10 minutes.  Crumble before serving.  

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Amaro Lucano. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

Campari America Spirited Connections Interview Series: Alex Jump & Speed Rack

Alex Jump, Rino Yacht Club

Dedicated readers of Gastronomista already know that I am working on an amazing campaign in partnership with Campari America with the goal of highlighting socially-conscious bartenders who use their platforms to make the world a better place.  Last month's Spirited Connections interview was with Tristan Willey about Bar Sustainability, and this month we are talking about Women's Equality with a few ladies who are changing the game for women in the Cocktail & Spirits industry. 

This month's Campari America Spirited Connections interview brings us back to Denver, Colorado and to the heart of The Source, the Rino Yacht Club, one of Denver's hottest cocktail bars.  The woman who brings us here is Alex Jump, winner of the Southwest Finals of Speed Rack 2017.  I caught her at her post behind the bar before she jets off for finals on May 21st in New York City. 

Before we get to know Alex, I had the opportunity to catch up with co-founder and bar boss-babe Lynnette Marrero to understand more about what inspired Speed Rack, how it has changed the game for female bartenders, and what is next for Lynnette and her business partner, Ivy Mix. 

Ivy Mix & Lynnette Marrero

Gastronomista: Lynnette, you and Ivy started Speed Rack six years ago, what inspired you to start the competition and how has it evolved over the years?

Lynnette: It all started as Ivy ran into me at the Superbowl Feb 2011 and told me about this idea she had for women bartenders called Speed Rack.  Since I was president of LUPEC NYC and was already working nationally with other chapters it was a natural partnership. We then worked to take the idea and give it the structure and format we have today. 

We decided to create a platform for women bartenders. We wanted to create a competition that tests bartenders in real life situations. Instead of testing their ability to create one drink we wanted to challenge them to showcase what they do every day in a bar; create quality cocktails with speed to service in mind.  Speed Rack, the tour that it is now, is the result of an intense few years and I could not be more proud of what Speed Rack is today.  As we expand globally it is incredible to see how it translates worldwide.

Gastronomista: Speed Rack has brought attention to female bartenders in a unique way – how do you think Speed Rack has changed the industry for women?

Lynnette: I think it has helped women get into a different tier of the business. Many of our past competitors got incredible job offers post competing in Speed Rack.  It has also created a network for these women.

Grastronomista: What has been the best take away from Speed Rack?

Lynnette: In the past six years we have grown from small local us competitions to a global phenomenon, expanding every year to new cities and countries, and investing in their bar communities.  We have had over 800 women compete in Speed Rack, we've raised over $550,000 against breast cancer.

Gastronomista: What do you think bar programs can do to be more aware of Women’s Equality?

Lynnette: Offering opportunities for upward mobility for women.  There are a lot of women in the bar community but there are fewer at the top.  We need to create mentorship opportunities, training, and offer other assets to women to gain the experience they need to move up into top beverage position.

Gastronomista: What is next for you two?  World domination?

Lynnette: Year 7 is next year. We are hoping to expand to more markets while we keep investing in adding more to the Untied States, such as the Sisterhood Project we started this year.  Our first empowerment day will be on Monday, May 22 and will be an amplification of the sisterhood.

---

Which leads us to Alex Jump, Miss Speed Rack Southwest 2017.  Speed Rack has a way of amplifying up and coming talent, letting the world know about the new female bartenders we should all be paying attention to.  So, pay attention.

Southwest Speed Rack Finals 2017

I sat down with Alex to talk about her experience at Speed Rack, how she started bartending, the unique camaraderie that comes along with being a Speed Rack finalist, and what's next for this incredibly talented lady. 

Gastronomista: Frist of all, congratulations on your Speed Rack win!  Tell us a little bit about how you secured victory!

Alex Jump:  Thank you!! Leading up to the big event, I spent a lot of time practicing for Speed Rack at work, RiNo Yacht Club, with a coworker (Heather Hass) who was also participating in Speed Rack. We would practice almost every day with bottles filled with water. We practiced making water cocktails for both the preliminary rounds & the judged rounds. I also practiced a new way of picking up bottles that made me a little faster, I think.

Last year was my first attempt at Speed Rack, and even though I had spent some time getting advice from friends about the competition, I was essentially walking in blind (I hadn’t even attended a Speed Rack before I competed in Nashville). After competing last year, I had a better idea of what I was walking into, so I spent a lot of time thinking about the competition & how I could work efficiently. I feel like I spent just as much time mentally preparing as I did physically.

As far as on stage, it was a real hair splitter! Nicole Laurita & I finished the final round within ½ a second of each other!! It all came down to our 4th (last) cocktail, our own riff on a Ramos Gin Fizz, which Pamela Wiznitzer ordered. Neither cocktails were perfect, but mine sat with a better meringue on top, & Nicole accidentally put a whole egg in hers. With penalties I only ended up beating her by 10 seconds. It was so close.

Gastronomista: Speed Rack is an incredible program that promotes Female Bartenders – why did you choose to compete, and what was the best take away from the competition?

Alex Jump:  Speed Rack is probably my favorite competition of the year for so many reasons. Not only do they promote female bartenders in a way that literally no other competition ever has, but they also raise money for breast cancer research.

What’s not to like? If you’re an attendee, you get to cheer on badass women in your region while drinking cocktails to raise money for breast cancer research. If you’re a competitor, you get to spend an entire day surrounded by inspiring female bartenders and rooting for each other while they’re on stage. Aside from the feeling of doing something good for the world, I’d say the best take away is the feeling of camaraderie that you walk away with after the day is over. I chose to compete because I knew it was something that I wanted to be a part of.

The All-Amari

Gastronomista: You live in Denver, which is notoriously a male-dominated city (and nicknamed Menver).  How do you navigate your career in a male dominated industry in a dude-centric town?

Alex Jump:  I’m so new to Denver that I’m not sure I’ve really noticed the outnumbering of men to women yet, honestly! Since I’ve moved here I’ve been fortunate enough to get hired on to two really wonderful bar teams in town- the RiNo Yacht Club & Mercantile Dining & Provisions. There certainly are a lot of men in the city, but there are also a lot of women in Denver doing some really amazing things.

Author's Favorite - A Classic Negroni

Gastronomista: What are your favorite bars right now?

Alex Jump:  Oh man.. I’ll try to narrow this down. It’s hard to even pick a place to start. Here in Denver I’ve fallen in love with the 715 Club, Star Bar, and B&GC. 715 Club is the perfect amount of dark & dive-y. It’s the exact bar I want to sit at when I get off work & need a Coors Banquet & a shot of Cynar. Star Bar is a Denver institution for sure, & it completely lives up to the hype. They have an awesome back bar and karaoke two nights a week. Win/Win. B&GC is a beautiful bar in the basement of the new Halcyon Hotel. It’s stunning inside, and the cocktails are lovely.

Since I’m from the South, it’s no surprise that some of my favorite bars are also located there. Robert’s Western World in Nashville is one of my most favorite places in the world. Amazing live music, dancing, & the Recession Special ($5 for a Bologna Sandwich & a High Life)… how do you not fall in love with that Honky Tonk? Then there’s Kimball House in Decatur, GA. It’s absolutely gorgeous, the food is wonderful, & the drinks are complex & delicious. Ticonderoga Club in Atlanta is another one of my favorite bars in the South. The space & décor makes you feel like you’re drinking in your own personal clubhouse. The food is absolutely incredible & the cocktail & wine lists are always lovely. And finally, Empire State South in Atlanta… The hospitality that Kellie Thorne & her crew exude at that bar is outstanding. All of these bars feel like home when I’m there.

Other bars that I love are ones that inspire me every time I visit them: Dante, Death & Co., PDT, Clover Club, Trick Dog, Clyde Common, & La Factoria, just to name a few. The people running these bars are constant sources of inspiration & motivation for me.

Gastronomista: If you could visit any bar anywhere in the world, at any point in history, what bar would you visit?  Who would you have a drink with?

Alex Jump:  Honestly… It may not seem like that far back to go, but I think I would go back to the early 2000’s when Sasha Petraske was opening Milk & Honey. I never had the opportunity to know him, but his legacy will influence my bartending for the rest of my career. I wish I had been able to sit at his bar, drink a cocktail, and ask him questions.

Wild Turkey Rye, Lustau Oloroso Sherry, Cynar, Lemon, Sesame Seed Orgeat, Egg White

 Gastronomista: What drives the creative process for you when you're creating cocktails?  Any tricks of the trade you can share?

Alex Jump:  I get a lot of inspiration from what my Chefs are cooking. What’s in season and what’s being served on dishes in the restaurant. When working on new cocktails, I always draw inspiration from a classic in some way. One of my bar mentors said to me, “Classics are classics for a reason. They will be good until the end of time. History has decided that they will be remembered. Because they are balanced.”  So if you’re working on a new cocktail, but already have a blueprint mapped out for you from a classic, you’re nearly guaranteed to create a balanced cocktail.

Gastronomista: This series, as well as Speed Rack, is sponsored by Campari America, would you mind sharing a few of your favorite recipes with us using Campari America products?

All Amari
Co-Created by Alex Jump of Rino Yacht Club

1 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Braulio
1 oz Punt e Mes

Stir and strain into a chilled Nick & Nora Glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

For more follow Alex Jump & the Rino Yacht Club on Instagram.

* * * * *

Speed Rack Finals will be held May 21, 2017 at the Weylin in Brooklyn.

The Finalists:

Top 8 Winners:
Elyse Blechman – Tongue-Cut Sparrow; Ms. Speed Rack Texas
Mony Bunni – Boleo, The Kimpton Gray Hotel; Ms. Speed Rack Midwest
Clairessa Chaput – Highball Lounge, Central Kitchen; Ms. Speed Rack Northeast
Jacyara de Oliveira – Rob Roy, The Hideout; Ms. Speed Rack Northwest
Helen Diaz – Bloodhound, Churchill; Ms. Speed Rack California
Jenny Feldt – Le Diplomate; Ms. Speed Rack Southeast
Alex Jump – RiNo Yacht Club; Ms. Speed Rack Southwest
Anna Wingfield – Mother’s Ruin, Ba’sik; Ms. Speed Rack New York

Wild Card Winners:
Katie Astrauska – Moneygun; Midwest Wildcard Winner
Tiff Jones – Pagan Idol, Rickhouse; California Wildcard Winner
Jen Laforge – Tiger Mama, Franklin Café; Northeast Wildcard Winner
Megan Radke – Canon, Liberty; Northwest Wildcard Winner
Zulcoralis Rodriguez – The Esquire Tavern; Texas Wildcard Winner
Jess Sandberg – Under Current; Southwest Wildcard Winner
Kristine Serrano – Forest Hills Station House; New York Wildcard Winner
Andrea Tateosian – Urbana; Southeast Wildcard Winner

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DIY Bitter Aperitivo & Soda

To say that I have an obsession with bitters is an understatement.  The Negroni is my favorite cocktail, I have made jewelry as an ode to the ruby-hued libation, and have considered painting my entire house red in tribute. 

While the recipe for the Negroni (and its sister cocktails) is incredibly well known, the recipe for its critical ingredient, Bitter Aperitivo, is not.  In fact, all of the producers who make aperitivi keep their recipes incredibly secret, usually known to only one or two highly trusted employees within the company.  Sometimes 3-4 ingredients are made public, but the remaining 20+ herbs, roots, and citrus ingredients remain a mystery. 

I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when I saw the YouTube video of Japanese Bartender Hiroyasu Kayama making a fresh Bitter Aperitivo Cocktail.  It is the closest I have come to understanding the full recipe for a Bitter Aperitivo - all the while perfectly capturing the discipline of Japanese Bartending.  Behold:


And yes, I am just crazy enough to try to do this at home.

Some of you may be wondering, why in the world would you spend so much time and effort sourcing a wide array of herbs and spices when you can just buy a bottle of Bitter Aperitivo, especially when there are so many different brands to choose from.  Good question.  Maybe because I'm a little bit crazy, and maybe because I have a closet stocked with Everclear and I'm bubbling with all kinds of creative ideas of how to use it!  After all, many of the big name Bitter Aperitivi are made with grain alcohol as a base, so naturally Everclear is a perfect choice for a base spirit.  Everclear is a high proof spirit, so it naturally draws more flavor out of the herbs than vodka. With the intent to follow Kayama's recipe and make this cocktail "fresh" there is less time for the herbs to seep - therefore the higher the proof the better!

When I first started this experiment I dutifully transcribed the recipe from this video, including the ingredients and measurements.  On a second pass I noticed a completely different list of ingredients in the description of the video, some of which seem to be lost in translation and some are nearly impossible to find in the States (I'm looking at you, Tonka Bean). 

I went to a local health food store that had a wide selection of herbs and started pulling the ingredients.  Even with the combined ingredients from the video and from the description under the video, I had a difficult time finding everything.  So, I improvised. 

One ingredient that I added was Rhubarb Root because I knew that Rhubarb and Orange are primary flavor compounds of Aperol, and I figured that the Bitter Aperitivo was a more bitter and herbal forward recipe. 

The cochineal, the red insect that gives many aperitivi their signature hue, was also difficult to find so I substituted for a beet dye that was a bit more magenta in hue, and worked rather nicely. 

I brought all my ingredients home and spread everything out.  "Now what", I thought. The video does not give the specs to the recipe, instead shows Kayama adding what can only be interpreted as a pinch here and a pinch there.  So, I did the same. 

I added a pinch of each ingredient to my mortar bowl, smelling the mixture every so often.  There were a few ingredients that I added more of, such as the Rhubarb Root and the Orange Peel, because the more I added, the more it began to resemble the apertivi I know and love. 

I ground all the mixture to extract the flavors, and transferred the dry ingredients to my mixing glass.  I added 1.5 oz of Everclear, and 1/2 oz of water to help the beet coloring dissolve properly.  I added a bit of 1:1 simple syrup to sweeten the concoction just a bit, and strained it into a cocktail coupe.  Top with soda water, and garnish with a citrus express.  I used Meyer Lemon because they smell wonderfully exotic and it pairs nicely with this bitter mixture.  I also added a whole licorice root stick and a few whole cardamom pods as a garnish, adding another aromatic layer to the nose of the cocktail.

Although I don't think that this was a perfect replication of some of the Bitter Aperitivi that are incredibly well known, I do think that it was an amazing start.  What is even more exciting is the possibility of adding different ingredients to gradually tweak this recipe to make my own house Aperitivo with my own specs based on my own preferences. 

I'm also excited about the idea of using local ingredients to give an Apertivo a connection back to the land.  After all Aperitivi and Amari were originally made from local ingredients as a method to preserve plants to be used to aid digestion and to alleviate an array of ailments. 

This recipe is by no means perfect - but it is an exciting start.  Enjoy.

DIY Bitter Aperitivo & Soda
Interpreted by Gastronomista

Makes One Cocktail

15g (One Pinch) Ground Caraway Seed
15g Angelica Root
15g Calamus Root
10g Ground Cinnamon
15g Licorice Root
15g Coriander Seed
30g Orange Peel
30g Rhubarb Root
3-4 Cardamom Pods

1-1/2 oz Everclear
1/2 oz 1:1 Simple Syrup
4 oz Soda Water
Meyer Lemon Peel to Garnish

Grind all dry ingredients with a Mortar & Pestle until smooth.

Add dry ingredients to a mixing glass and add Everclear and Simple Syrup.  Stir and double strain into a chilled cocktail coupe and top with soda water.  Garnish with a Meyer Lemon express, a few Cardamom Pods, and a Whole Licorice Stick. 

Note: I decided to serve this cocktail in coupes, because I wanted less soda water and no ice.  A Bitter & Soda is typically served in a highball glass over ice, and this cocktail could be served the same way.

Styling Notes:
Mixing Glass - Robin Mix
Cocktail Coupes - Parched Penguin
Stone Spice Grinder - Tom Dixon

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Everclear. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

Campari America Women Cocktail & Spirits Writer Interview Series - Carey Jones

My second interview in my Campari America Women Spirits Writer series is with Carey Jones, a devastatingly intelligent woman I have been lucky enough to travel with and toast many cocktails with over the years.  Her writing is always surprising and speaks to the cocktail zeitgeist - she has a keen eye for trends (and awesomely delicious drinks).  This year she is releasing her first book called Brooklyn Bartender, a book that highlights innovative cocktails made in Brooklyn at the height of the borough's popularity, and yes, you should buy it.

Photo by Lucy Schaeffer

 

Gastronomista:  You have what many would call a dream job - you travel the world, drink amazing things, and then you get paid to write about it.  How did you get started writing about travel and cocktails?
Carey Jones:  I began freelance journalism straight out of college -- I'd known for a while I wanted to write, so I moved to New York and tried to make it happen. It was a struggle -- I don't know why anyone let me write for them at age 22, and I got about one response (usually a "no") per 50 pitch letters. But the magical thing about starting out in this world is that every article you write, you've had to pitch yourself -- so you realize pretty quickly what you're interested in. "Oh, every idea I've had has been restaurants, cocktails, or travel. Hmm."

I eventually took a full-time job at the food site Serious Eats, where my days were filled with cheeseburgers and sandwiches -- less wine, fewer cocktails. But even within the world of food writing, I always leaned toward drinks and travel. When I went freelance again three years ago, I was thrilled to get to explore these subjects more deeply.


Gastronomista:  What have been some of your favorite places to visit and why?
Carey Jones:  Cuba. I've been twice in the last year. It's become a cliché to rave about how transportive and gorgeous and singular Cuba is. And to some extent, everything you hear is true -- the '57 Chevys, the Havana Club and cigars. But it's not an easy place to travel. It's a complicated place to be a tourist, logistically, ethically -- we go nuts over the crumbling colonial buildings and antique cars, but those are visible signs of poverty; tourists want Cuba to be "frozen in time," but Havana is not Epcot Center. People aren't driving old cars because they're vintage -- it's necessity. Traveling there, your brain is in overdrive. If the idea of travel is to explore a world unlike your own, Cuba over delivers. 

And there's tasty, cheap rum everywhere! From a cocktail perspective, it's hard to tire of Havana Club. I probably had frozen daiquiris at 20 different bars, and they're all quite good -- somewhere between a Hemingway and a normal daiquiri, with rum, lime, sugar, and maraschino liqueur (not Luxardo, sadly). Not too heavy on the sugar, always fresh lime juice -- what's not to love?


Gastronomista:  Where do you want to travel to next?
Carey Jones:  Japan -- and I'm lucky enough to be going in May. I've been there once before, but on a four-day whirlwind; I only spent 12 hours in Tokyo and that was on one long izakaya crawl that I barely remember. I can't wait to tour the Nikka whisky distilleries and get a better sense of what Japanese whisky is about.


Gastronomista:  Bitters and Amaro are a booming trend, how have you seen this trend change the way people drink?
Carey Jones:  The amazing thing about amari is that each one contains such complex, nuanced flavors in a single bottle, so in a lot of ways, they lend themselves to simple cocktails. A Campari and soda, a Cynar and soda with a grapefruit wedge -- these are sophisticated drinks in their own right, as straightforward as they are. I think drinkers have been shifting away from 17-ingredient drinks and back to more focused cocktails; who can argue that an Aperol Spritz is a perfect drink as-is?


Gastronomista: What other cocktail writers inspire you and why?
Carey Jones:  Is it silly to say Dave Wondrich? I don't care. Hearing him talk about cocktails -- and he writes the way he speaks, which is an incredible thing -- and you get absolutely lost in his stories. Like that history professor in college who could make lectures fly by. He has such a sense of storytelling, such an ear for compelling details, and it helps that he probably knows more about cocktails than anyone alive....


Gastronomista: You have a new book coming out called Brooklyn Bartender, what was the best cocktail tip or trick you learned while writing your book?
Carey Jones:  St. John Frizell over at Fort Defiance makes a legendary Irish coffee, but it's actually the technique I love, even more than the drink itself. He calls it the "double boiler" technique -- he fills a mug half-full with boiling water to warm the mug, and then nestles a shaking tin right in the mug and mixes the ingredients in that tin -- so you're heating the mug and the drink in one go. Pretty brilliant.


Gastronomista:  What is your favorite bar in New York City, and favorite bars around the world?
Carey Jones:I can't get enough of Extra Fancy, in Brooklyn -- their frozen sherry cobblers (!), their off-the-wall drink names, their patty melts. It has such a welcoming, addictive energy. No matter who's bartending, whether you know anyone on staff or not, you'll all be friends by the end of the night.

Around the world... oh boy. Bowe's Lounge in Dublin -- they pour a perfect Guinness, their whiskey selection is unreal, and they couldn't be more charming. El Cocinero in Havana, a gorgeous privately-owned rooftop lounge of a kind that didn't exist in Cuba a few years ago. Bus Bar in Chiang Mai, Thailand -- you buy a bottle of rum and ice and Coke out of an actual bus, and then sit at their picnic tables on the water and pour your own drinks all night. Bodega 1900, the vermouth bar in Barcelona. Actually, any vermouth bar in Barcelona. The Lebowski Bar in Reykjavik -- with an entire menu of White Russians. And I can't say no to a perfect martini at The Savoy in London...


Gastronomista:  Campari America is sponsoring this series on women writers in the spirits industry.  Can you recommend a great recipe with some of their products?

Carey Jones:  My fiancé John McCarthy is a mixologist (we now team up on a weekly Food & Wine online column and a bimonthly Saveur video) and I actually met him when I did an article on a cocktail list he'd done. He had a drink called the Presbyterian's Revenge that I'll never forget -- Scotch plus Cynar plus grapefruit is just perfect. I make these at home on the regular.

Photo by Gastronomista

Presbyterian's Revenge
Created by John McCarthy

2 oz Blended Scotch
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 Dash Grapefruit Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until well-chilled and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Top with a little splash (half an ounce) of club soda. Garnish with a huge grapefruit twist.

Photo by Gastronomista

Styling Notes
Old Fashioned Glass - Baccarat Harmonie Tumbler No. 4
Seamless Gold Jigger - Parched Penguin
Cocktail Shaker - Parched Penguin
Cocktail Picks - Parched Penguin
Gold Tray - Target

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Gastronomista Featured on Design*Sponge!

Head over to Design*Sponge (one of my all time favorite design blogs) for a peek at one of my favorite tipples, The Stolen Negroni.  This cocktail has special meaning for me, I served it at my wedding as the "hers" cocktail! 

Big thanks to Grace Bonney & Kristina Gill for featuring me in their Behind the Bar series! 

Cheers!!

See the full post >>

Lavender Cocktails - Tipple Trend Alert

At this year's Manhattan Cocktail Classic one thing was evident - lavender is a new hot ingredient on the cocktail scene.  The night of the Gala alone, I enjoyed three different cocktails using the aromatic herb, all of which were surprisingly delicious.  Lavender, a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae) adds a subtle floral note that balances well with sweeteners (honey), citrus, and even bitter flavors.

For your imbibing pleasure, below are the recipes to the Lavender Cocktails from The Manhattan Cocktail Classic, and a few more for good measure.  Cheers!

Image from Wikipedia

The Union Square Negroni is a surprising application of the aromatic flower, one that worked beautifully in balance with the bittersweet flavors of the Negroni.  The cocktail is a variation on the traditional Negroni, with layers of lavender to enhance the libation: a spray of lavender tincture, lavender bitters, and a fresh lavender sprig.  On Monday at the Negroni seminar, the handsome gents from Saxon & Parole showed us some of their Campari infusions - including lavender and lemongrass infused using a sous vide.