Arsenic Lace

figs

Fig + Vanilla Sidecar

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Bonjour everyone! If you’re reading this, I’m probably touching down in France right about now. To celebrate my trip to France with Pierre Ferrand, I’ve made a delicious variation on one of my favorite Cognac classics and have come up with a Fig + Vanilla Sidecar. Like most classic cocktails, the exact origin of this drink remains slightly unclear. The first recipe appeared in 1922, in Harry MacElhone’s “Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails” and Robert Vermeire’s “Cocktails and How to Mix Them”. In MacElhone’s book, he cites the inventor as Pat MacGarry, a popular bartender at the Buck’s Club in London, but later cites himself. Vermiere states that it was MacGarry as well. I’m putting my money on Pat MacGarry!…

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Country Village

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Hey everyone! We’re a little less than 2 weeks away from Thanksgiving and I bet you’re planning all of your meals and cocktails if your hosting at your house for the holiday or friendsgiving. I’ll be sharing some delicious fall cocktail ideas in the mean time and I’m starting off with my Country Village cocktail. I developed this drink for the fall menu over at The Archer. It has Reposado Tequila, Fig infused Sweet Vermouth, Licor 43, and Chocolate Bitters. It’s stirred and boozy but also has a lot of desserty qualities which makes it perfect as an after dinner drink (especially if your serving some pie).

The fig infused sweet vermouth had some trial and error but I’ve figured out how to do it so that you can achieve the most flavorful (and easy) results. At first I got really excited when I found fresh figs, so I cut some up and threw them in a cup of vermouth and let it sit, periodically tasting it to see how much longer it would need. I wound up letting it sit for 24 hours and honestly wasn’t happy with the outcome. The problem with fresh figs is that they have a very short season, usually late summer to early fall, and then they disappear. This was a problem because I was developing it for a menu and I need ingredients to be available and consistant on a regular basis.

I decided to try making the vermouth infusion with dried figs instead. I knew I could always get them, we could order them in large quantities, and they would also make a delicious garnish! If this didn’t work I was going to have to go back to the cocktail development drawing board. I did a handful of dried figs in a cup of vermouth and within hours I was already getting a better product than the first time around. I didn’t even let it sit over night because the infusion had already developed such a nice flavor. I let it sit for about 5-6 hours covered, but keep tasting and if you’d prefer a stronger flavor you can let it sit longer. When your happy with the result strain the vermouth into a bottle, keep refrigerated.

Country Village

1 1/2 oz. Reposado Tequila

3/4 oz. Fig infused Sweet Vermouth

1/4 oz. Licor 43

2 dashes of Chocolate Bitters

Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice, stir, and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a dried or fresh fig.

Sip and enjoy everyone!