Robert Forto

Recipe Rants

A Worn Path

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While technically a drink to complement a summer BBQ, we stirred up this tasty cocktail while enjoying some smoked Que from our local restaurant, and it’s late October in Alaska.

The strawberry cordial achieves a pop of flavor with notes of orange peel and pink peppercorns that are perfectly complemented with a nice Scotch whiskey and a few dashes of hopped-up IPA tintcure.

Yields 1

Ingredients

2 oz Scotch

1/2 oz strawberry cordial

3 dashes hopped-up IPA tincture

Method

Stirred

Glass

Rocks glass

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients to a dry mixing glass. Fill the glass with ice and use a bar spoon to stir until the glass feels ice-cold.

Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.

Haunted Graveyard

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To make this spooky Halloween cocktail you will need:

  • ½ cup bourbon
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup
  • 4 orange slices
  • 4-6 splashes bitters – see note 1
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 cup ice

To serve

  • large ice cubes
  • 2 sprigs rosemary – see note 2

Instructions

  • Pour the bourbon and maple syrup into a cocktail shaker. Add the ice, orange slices and sprig of rosemary.
  • Shake well for at least 30 seconds.

To serve

  • Add the ice to a short whisky glass and strain over the prepared cocktail.
  • Garnish with a fresh stem of rosemary and use a kitchen blow torch or long match to set it on fire. (see note 2)

Notes

  1. To enhance the maple and bourbon pick a bitters from this list.
    • orange bitters
    • grapefruit bitters
    • rosemary bitters
    • smoke bitters
    • or experiment with some new combinations.
  2. If the smoking rosemary isn’t your thing, you can either garnish the cocktail with an orange slice or curl of zest. Or use the rosemary but don’t set it on fire.
    • The fresher your rosemary the less likely it is to just set on fire and the more likely it is to just smoke.

 

Mystic Brew

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Kick back and imagine the infinite with a serenity-inducing sip that thankfully eschews the herbs, seeds, and curiously named components of dreadful concoctions of yore.

Chris Elford’s old fashioned unites mezcal with a rich coffee syrup that features a simple but omnipresent mix of star anise, cardamon and clove. The spices harmonize with the bitters and a finishing touches of grapefruit aroma and soldering cinnamon fog directly target the complex fruit and char notes of the spirit.

Ingredients

2 oz mezcal espadin joven

1/2 oz spiced cold brew syrup

2 dashes Angostura bitters

1 spritz grapefruit oil

1 cinnamon stick

Method

Stirred

Glass

Rocks

Instructions

Add mezcal, syrup and bitters to a dry mixing glass. Fill the glass with ice and stir until the glass feels cold.

Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube

For the aromatic finishing touches, light the cinnamon stick with a match and blow it out when flame catches. Spray the grapefruit oil over the top and balance the burned cinnamon stick on the rim of the glass.

The Black Widow Smash

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The “spookiest” of Halloween cocktails, but also one of the simplest. Fresh blackberries muddled with rosemary, lemon, a couple dashes of orange bitters, tequila, and topped off with sparkling water, for a little bit of fizz. Perfect for the cool nights ahead.

Ingredients

  • 8 fresh blackberries, plus more for topping
  • 1–2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, plus a sprig for serving
  • Juice from half of a lemon
  • 1–2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 1/2 – 2 ounces tequila or Mezcal
  • a couple dashes of orange bitters
  • sparkling water, for topping

Instructions

  • 1. In a cocktail shaker or glass jar, add blackberries, rosemary, lemon juice and honey. Muddle all of the ingredients together, squishing everything to release the juices. Add the tequila and orange bitters.

    2. Add ice to your glass and strain the drink over the ice. Top the glass with a little more ice, pour the sparkling water over, and gently stir to combine. Garnish with fresh rosemary. DRINK!

The Lynyrd Skynyrd

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The Lynyrd skynyrd cocktail Robert Forto

The Lynyrd Skynrd is inspired by Gus the Bartender on SiriusXM’s Rock Bar. It is the perfect cocktail to give you three steps when you are cutting the rug with Linda Lou on a special Saturday dancin’ at The Jug.

Yields 1

Ingredients 

2 oz good bourbon

4 oz orange juice

4 oz orange soda

Instructions

Shake orange juice and bourbon with ice. Stain into a glass and add orange soda. Garnish with an orange slice.