How about a Dram of Something Smokey for The Year of the Dragon….
What always tastes great smoked? An old fashioned of course. But let’s make it a double dark rum old fashioned. Plantation Original Dark Aged Rum is rich, complex, and really brings the soul warming heat with it’s spiced vanilla flavors. Use whatever aged rum speaks to you, but I can’t recommend Plantation enough.
Ok we have our base cocktail, let’s add some magic. Domaine de Canton is a unique and delicious Ginger Cognac liqueur. I’m adding it for it’s slight bitter astringence that will give this dragon some bite. Ginger is associated with the element of Fire, bringing heat and energy and making it an obvious choice.
An old fashioned gets sweetened up with a sugar cube or a little simple syrup. For our elixir, I’m going with grenadine. It’s a simple ingredient to craft yourself and a great way of making the cocktail entirely your own. You can use the base recipe as a starting point and experiment with different flavor and aroma additives. Here’s how I make it!
By Ayda Rose
Homemade Grenadine
Warm juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat stirring occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Stir in the citrus juice.
At this point you can add herbs or teas to customize the properties of your potion. Let them steep as the mixture cools.
Taste your syrup. If you want a stronger infusion, you can bottle your grenadine with your herbs. Transfer the mixture into your container of choice and refrigerate.
1/2 cup Pomegranate Juice
1/3 cup Sugar
a splash of citrus juice
I went with Blood Orange as my citrus and added an infusion of Hibiscus flowers to amplify the tartness of taste and richness of color. Pomegranate, Blood Orange, & Hibiscus are all associated with Creativity and Passion so this will make for a harmonious and potent blend.
Finally, it wouldn’t be Dragon’s Breath without smoke. You’ll need a cocktail smoker of course. You can definitely enjoy this drink without the added embellishment, it’s still a unique and delicious experience, but I’m going for the drama! You can find simple and inexpensive smokers easily enough online. They are simple to use, just choose your wood chips and follow manufacturer instructions. Oak wood chips will be perfect for adding strength of both flavor and intention to our concoction.
Now for the bitters. I’m swapping out angostura for orange bitters in this drink. The taste is lighter and brighter, letting the other flavors shine through without overpowering them. Besides, orange is associated with abundance and it won’t hurt to use that energy to amplify our other components.
Now that the ingredients are assembled, just follow the instructions on the Dragon’s Breath card above. This is a ritual about Fire, Creativity, and Passion so set your intention accordingly as you pour and stir, smoke and sip. Let the flavors and aromas, along with the act of creating this cocktail ignite the creative fire within!
~Ayda Rose
