This is gonna have to be a quick one- all I’m going to say is, go to your local well-stocked liquorium, and pick up a bottle of Falernum. I picked up a bottle of the easiest to find stuff, Velvet Falernum, on a lark due to acres of mixology blog being dedicated to its ilk. I had no idea what it’d taste like, apart from knowing it had something to do with cloves and rum.

I mixed a quarter-shot of it into a shot of Buffalo Trace bourbon, plus a quarter shot of dry Noilly Prat vermouth. Stirred briskly with ice and decanted into the nearest glass, it was the perfect drink for ringing in the end of summer. Sweet, complex and refreshing, but not so detached from the base liquors to become a trifle, it was eminently enjoyable.

It’s probably been done before, but if not, I’d like to stake my claim to this combo. I’ll call it the “Aurora Borealis”.

All I’m saying is, grab a bottle of this stuff, and get experimenting. It’s wonderful. Even better, make your own damn falernum.

Filed under: Ingredients, Cocktail Hour

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