Drink

Featured Cocktail: The Sunset StormThis episode’s featured cocktail is the Sunset Storm. It’s a custom cocktail made using Halyard Brewing Co. Ginger Beer. To make it, you’ll need:1 oz Dark Rum (Halyard recommends Mt. Gay Black Barrel)¾ oz Aperol4 oz Volcano Juice Ginger Beer Shandy1 oz Orange Juice½ oz Lemon Juice5-6 dashes of Angostura BittersIn a cocktail shaker with ice, combine the rum, Aperol, and citrus juices. Shake vigorously until the ingredients are well chilled, strain into a collins glass with ice, and top up with about 4 oz of the Volcano Juice Shandy. Garnish this cocktail with several dashes of Angostura bitters, which  create a stormy-colored gradient as they gradually mix with the drink, and a lemon wheel, which emulates the setting sun.What we like about the Sunset Storm is that it shows off what Halyard Brewing Co’s ginger beer can do when mixed with other sweeteners and acids. We talk at length later in the episode about just what creates these really complex sweetness and acid profiles, but suffice it to say that this drink is a shining example of how they all work together in the glass. More

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1.5 oz Blended Scotch whisky1.5 oz Sweet Vermouth (for this application, we’d select a dark option, like Punt e Mes)And ½ – ¾ oz Benedictine.liqueurCombine these ingredients in a mixing beaker with ice, stir until well chilled and diluted, then strain into a stemmed cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist. A slightly more precious garnish would be to express and discard the lemon twist and serve the drink with a sweet biscuit or slice of shortbread.Now, if you’re following along at home, you’ll notice that this is a Manhattan and that it very closely resembles another Manhattan variation, the Vieux Carre. This explains the fact that no two recipes for the Bobby Burns seem to agree on ingredient ratios. More traditional (i.e. Mid-20th century) recipes seem to agree on an equal split between Scotch and Sweet Vermouth, while more contemporary versions pare back the sweetness quite a bit. This is further complicated by the fact that when the drink first appeared in print in about 1900, it was made with Irish Whiskey and absinthe.So, the moral of the story here, is that a good Bobby Burns should closely resemble a Manhattan, but you can feel free to mess with the ingredient ratios just a bit. Personally, I wouldn’t mind swapping out that blended scotch for a single malt on occasion to really let the terroir and the regional character drive the flavor of the drink. But hey, that’s just our take on it. Follow your bliss.Show NotesHere are some highlights and links from this wide-ranging conversation.Billy is a writer and educator for The Whisky Exchange, a spirits retailer that specializes in old/rare spirits and has a large collection of whiskies from around the world.In addition to teaching spirits courses for the WSET, Billy is a bone fide Awamori Jinbner, “someone who [spreads] the beauty of awamori with wisdom across the world.”For more information about Shochu, check out our interview with Taka Amano.For more information about Baijiu, check out our Interview with Derek Sandhaus.Distilleries mentioned include Bimber Distillery, and J. Gow Rum And of course, this page wouldn’t be complete without featuring some of Billy’s impressive sandwich architecture. More

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