Get Your Haunt on With This Sleepy Hollow Cocktail
It's not Halloween yet, but we're already losing our heads over this Sleepy Hollow cocktail. Homemade allspice dram highlights beloved fall flavors: freshly ground allspice berries provide a piquant zing that lingers on your tongue, and cinnamon spice reminds us of the holidays to come. On the liquor side, mezcal gives the drink a smoky note, which contrasts nicely against the rum's sweetness and the subtle bite of absinthe to boost your buzz. Combined with a torched rosemary twig for savory and aesthetic flair, it's the perfect seasonal cocktail.
Sleepy Hollow
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ ounce absinthe
- 2 ounces mezcal
- 1 ounce allspice dram (⅛ cup freshly ground allspice berries, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 cup light or dark rum, ½ cup agave nectar)
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Rosemary sprig, to garnish
DIRECTIONS:
- To Make the Allspice Dram: In a sealable glass jar (a Mason jar is ideal), combine the allspice and rum. Seal, shake well, let it sit for 1 day. Break up a cinnamon stick, add it to the jar, and let it sit for an additional 2 days. Strain the mixture with a fine mesh strainer, and then again with a coffee filter to separate any smaller particles. Meanwhile, bring water and agave nectar to a boil in a small saucepan, and heat for 5 minutes. Let it cool, and add it to the infused rum. Pour the final mixture into a Mason jar and let it rest for 2 days.
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour 2 ounces of mezcal, 1 ounce of the allspice dram, and 2 dashes of Angostura bitters. Shake well.
- Pour ½ ounce of absinthe into a cocktail glass and swirl it around to coat the surface. Strain the shaker into the glass over ice.
- Using a lighter or culinary torch, ignite a rosemary sprig until gently smoking. Place it over the glass to garnish, and serve immediately.
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