So…are you in politics? This is a diversion from politics, so I shall not go deep but…um, well, it’s a busy time. Gonna try and keep in a good rhythm here, but life may not always allow that. Still, this is the way to escape all of that, and while I started doing all of this in those deep early COVID times as something of an escape valve from that, I still think it’s a useful escape valve from *gestures at everything*. There is a lot going on out there, and sometimes you just need that low stakes place to be like…does this need rosemary syrup?
I suppose I should explain how I got there…
They say that you should let bottles settle for a bit when flying back. They being nebulous internet wisdom. Who knows how much truth there is there, but fact of the matter is I was not exactly eager to crack anything open. It was a good vacation, but the body, she needs a break sometimes. So I did not get around to opening the bottles for a bit anyway, and only brought a couple, but one of them was a gin that kept popping up everywhere I went. Distilled in beautiful Leith, Electric Spirit Co. has a somewhat non-traditional but still traditional product called Achroous Gin.
What sets it apart? It’s the Sichuan peppers. Of course gin is normally made with a number of different botanicals to give it its flavor, and while juniper is obviously the backbone of this, there are a lot of other botanicals that can take the base spirit in a wildly different direction. I went to a tasting at a local distillery on Treasure Island and they let you play with the botanicals a bit to see what kind of flavor profiles you can create. It’s fun! That’s why, despite it really only having a couple different types (London Dry and Old Tom), there is a lot of variety within the spirit itself. Botanicals, who knew?
Anyway, enough bartenders and store owners pitched me on it that a bottle made its way into my bag (magic!) and sure enough it’s got that nice pepper quality. It’s one of the things I always enjoy about Botanivore which has a nice little kick to it (among the numerous other botanicals). I like a lil bite in my gin, okay? It’s not much, but it’s subtle.
Now, what to do with a gin like that? I am, as you may have noticed over the years, not the most subtle of bartenders. I like to through strong at strong. It’s how you end up with drinks that shouldn’t, but do work. And I happened to have a grapefruit sitting around that needed using. What better than the most divisive of the common citruses? In version 1, I just reached for a regular bottle of simple, but it needed a little more. So I mixed up a batch of rosemary simple because that’s how life works
A quick aside on Rosemary simple:
Take a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, wash them, and stick them in a bowl
I usually make 8.5 oz bottles of simple in a batch, so that equates to 135 grams of sugar and 135 grams of water.
Normally I heat the water to close to boiling, add that, and then put in the sugar.
In this case, I did that in a bowl with the rosemary where you let it sit and simmer for a good long while (several hours to overnight) to let those flavors come out
Viola, you have yourself some rosemary simple, go wild. Add a little neutral vodka if you want to extend the shelf life (no more than an ounce)
Alright, back to our regularly scheduled programming. I also wanted something with that fun sour action. Now…I normally don’t get that (eggs, why you gotta do me wrong like this and be so versatile in drinks?). However…science has come a long way. Aquafaba works, but in an up cocktail in something like a coupe or a Nick and Nora, it takes some precious volume. You need every bit you can get. Enter Fee Brothers Fee Foam. It’s a nice foam alternative.
For reasons unclear to me, the number one thing to avoid when using it though is the instructions. They say 2-3 drops and in my experience if you want a beautiful and picturesque foam, you have to go with something more like 5-6. Anyway, after a draft or two, here is where I ended up:
1 oz fresh grapefruit juice
.25 oz rosemary simple syrup
2 oz gin (I don’t expect you to have random Scottish gin at home, so experiment. Botanivore is a good substitute imo and it would probably knock with the Dry Rye too)
5-6 drops Fee Brothers Fee Foam
Take all those ingredients and put them in your mixing tin WITHOUT ICE. Give it a good shake. Now add ice. Give it another good shake. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Top with star anise and a few drops of Peychaud’s.
In honor of the unusual botanical mix, I dubbed this one a Sichuan Sour. Enjoy!
This is Trader Jane’s, a periodic newsletter about drinks (mostly tiki) and other fun writing. Follow me on Substack for something every couple of weeks (a low volume Substack, I swear!), and follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more timely updates on my beverages (and for lots of other things of course!)
And, as with any good drink, feel free to share (responsibly, of course)