cheers
A POUR OF APPLE PIE
Pig & Pickle’s Merry Kwanzaa Old Fashioned BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ
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PHOTO BY DEBBY WOLVOS
t Pig & Pickle, the menu tells a story. The Merry Kwanzaa Old Fashioned ($9), inspired by local distiller Caskwerks’ Apple Pie Liqueur, is no exception. “We’ve known the Caskwerks team since their inception, and our collaboration with head distiller John Miller goes back nearly a decade,” says Pig & Pickle’s owner Clayton MacGregor, who notes that Miller’s creation did not disappoint. “There’s no using chemically created flavors here – just unadulterated apple pie in a bottle,” MacGregor says. “John spent seven years perfecting the recipe.” The result is a spiced, balanced profile of crisp apple, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. “From there, we developed a cocktail with Caskwerks’ brand mixologist Travis Nass for the holidays,” says MacGregor, who took further inspiration from his business partner and bar manager, respectively, both Wisconsin natives. In Wisconsin, an Old Fashioned is as “in fashion” as here. However, given the harsh winters, mixologists have taken to using warm brandy as the base spirit. “In homage to them, we combined the apple pie liqueur with brandy and then added some Boy Drinks World Walnut Bitters to up the aromatic quality of the cocktail,” MacGregor says. The final steps are stirring in candied cranberry simple syrup and garnishing it with an orange peel and hand-candied cranberries for a touch of sweetness. Pig & Pickle, 2922 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale; 480.990.1407; www.pigandpickle.com.
SO SCOTTSDALE! |
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| DECEMBER 2016
11/22/16 3:20 PM