6 minute read
CHEERS
A nod to the Indiana Bicentennial drinks of the past … with a twist
INDIANA BOOZY SLINGS
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BY JENNIFER RUBENSTEIN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARY MCCLUNG AND JENNIFER RUBENSTEIN
Scott Lowe, Bluebeard
Photography by Mary McClung
We celebrate Indiana’s 200th birthday with celebratory cocktails from the top slingers in the state. Edible Indy partnered with four talented bartenders to bring to life the classic flavors from the 1800s in a drink one might order up today. These artists infused these drinks with Indiana products— from the spices to the booze—but what really make these Indiana is the individuals.
Feeling frisky? Make these at home, or grab a stool at any of these establishments, and order these drinks to wet your whistle.
Bijou Cocktail
The Bijou cocktail was invented in the 1890s by famed bartender Harry Johnson, and named for the French word bijou, meaning “jewel.” This cocktail signifies the colors of three jewels: gin for diamond, vermouth for ruby and chartreuse for emerald. Prior to Prohibition, Indiana housed some of the top distilleries in the country, including one that remained post Prohibition, Seagram in Lawrenceburg. Cardinal American Gin is a product of an Indiana Distillery located in Bloomington and they have brought back high-quality spirits to the state. The organic botanicals in the American Gin distilled from white grape, pink and white grapefruit zest, navel orange zest, crushed juniper berry, cardamom seeds and lavender flowers, makes this gin the perfect ingredient for this one-of-a-kind cocktail.
Bijou Cocktail by Scott Lowe, Bluebeard
1 ounce Cardinal American Gin 1 ounce Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth ¾ ounce of Green Chartreuse 1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters Orange peel Pour gin, vermouth and chartreuse over ice in a beaker. Add dash of orange bitters. Give it a brisk stir for 10 seconds.
Strain into a coupe glass (or other shallow glass). Garnish with orange peel.
Originally from La Porte, Scott Lowe moved to Indianapolis in 2000 from Los Angeles, where he cut his teeth in the bar business at, among others, Jones Hollywood and The Circle Bar in Venice Beach. After arriving in Indianapolis, he worked at such places as Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Broad Ripple Tavern and the Pawn Shop Pub. However, it wasn’t until he was the opening bar manager at The Ball & Biscuit that he really got involved in craft cocktails. Scott moved from The Ball and Biscuit to open Bluebeard for a chance to further his craft cocktail and spirits knowledge. He is currently Bluebeard’s beverage director.
Megan Stewart, Hotel Tango Distillery
The Corydon Sling
The Corydon Sling’s name derives from Indiana’s first capital, Corydon, which became Indianapolis in 1825, and the predecessor for the word “cocktail,” which was “sling.” Slings were typically constructed with few ingredients: booze, sugar, bitters and water. The bitters used both complement each other and emit an earthy, bitter and citrusy flavor.
During this time, moonshine was an easily accessible spirit in the state. Throughout the 1700s and 1800s, Southern Indiana was the center of the American wine industry. This drink incorporates a vermouth aged in a sherry barrel, Cruz Conde Rojo. When it all comes together, top it off with a garnish of a bamboo skewer lined with popcorn across the top of the coupe glass.
2 ounces Mike Moonshine (Hotel Tango brand) ¾ ounce Cruz Conde Rojo ¼ ounce Luxardo Liqueur 3 dashes celery bitters 3 dashes citrus bitters 3 dashes Angostura bitters Popcorn, for garnish
Place all ingredients in a coupe glass. Stir. Serve with a popcorn garnish.
Megan Stewart is the sales and marketing manager and bartender for Hotel Tango Distillery in Indianapolis. She started their first “craft” cocktail menu at the distillery in January 2015, and has progressed and instilled a very literal sense to the word in just about every aspect of the ingredients ever since.
Kendall Lockwood, The Ball & Biscuit
Photography by Jennifer Rubenstein
Modern Love
This cocktail is named after a David Bowie song. The name was chosen because David Bowie has a spice mixture called “Spice Oddity.” The carrier for this spice mixture is Salem Spice Trade, and they have been trading and shipping spices since the early 1800s. The local aspect of this cocktail is the chai spice mixture. Also added to the tea are some mulling spices from Terra Spice Company located in South Bend.
2 ounces Plantation 3 Star Rum 1 ounce Opihr Gin ½ ounce Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao 3 ounces chai spice syrup 2 ounces lemon juice 1 ounce orange juice 5 dashes Bittercube Jamaica #1 Bitters 1¾ ounces club soda Clove-infused orange and Peychaud’s Bitters, for garnish
Place ingredients in a cocktail glass. Stir. Garnish with clove-infused orange slice and Peychaud’s Bitters. Serve over crushed ice.
General manager and part owner of The Ball & Biscuit in Indianapolis, Kendall Lockwood has helped found the cocktail scene within the city. She has competed in many bartending competitions to further her skills and education. Competing in Las Vegas two years ago, she was named one of the top 15 bartenders in the nation. Three years ago, she won the national competition for Four Roses Bourbon, and was also the winner of the Pisco Porton competition, earning her a trip to Peru. Kendall is always looking for new ways to grow and stretch her level of experience and education. She attributes her success in the service industry to her best friend and love of her life, Jay Fields, and her family. Without their overwhelming support she wouldn’t be where she is today.
Old Northside Sour
The Old Northside Sour is a cocktail made by Rachel Kim, the cocktail curator at the Open Society Public House. The inspiration for the cocktail comes from the classic whiskey sour variation, the New York Sour. A traditional New York Sour is a bourbon sour with a claret float. Rachel, a New Yorker inhabiting Indiana, thought it would be perfect to make her Indiana version of this classic. The main ingredient, the Angel’s Envy Finished Rye, is distilled in Lawrenceburg. The port represents the strong presence of English settlers in Indiana in the 1800s, and honey was used as the sweetener, as it was widely prevalent and made locally. And the St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram was used to tie in the flavors of the rye and port and earthy spices used in the 1800s.
Old Northside Sour by Rachel Kim, Open Society Public House
¼ ounce St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram 1 egg white ½ ounce honey syrup (combine equal parts honey and hot water; stir until honey is fully dissolved and incorporated) ½ ounce tawny port ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 ounces Angel’s Envy Finished Rye
Put cocktail glass in the freezer to chill. Once chilled, pour Dram into it. Swirl it around the glass. This will give you the aroma of the spices. Then let the liquid settle in the bottom. Set aside.
Separate an egg, keeping the white and discarding the yolk.
In shaker, add honey syrup, tawny port, fresh lemon juice and Angel’s Envy Finished Rye. At the last second, add your egg white to your shaker. Shake hard for 10 to 15 seconds, without ice. (This technique is called a “dry shake” and it helps to emulsify the egg, making sure it doesn’t break in the presence of citrus.) After dry shaking, fill the shaker with ice and shake for an additional 10 seconds.
Strain into your allspice-rinsed cocktail glass. Serve.
Photography by Mary McClung Brian Baker, Founder, Open Society Public House
