The Sichuan Sour
Who doesn’t love a little spice with their sweet and sour?
Lunar New Year is right around the corner (1/22) and together with hinecognacs, we’ve developed a recipe to celebrate. For this recipe, I’m utilizing ingredients typically found in eastern culture such as sesame and five spice, as well as tapping into the Chinese region of Sichuan to bring a bit more of that spiciness to the party. HINE’s VSOP line offers a delicious and balanced experience from start to finish. You’ll get notes of sweet, sour, savory and spiciness in a glass and it’s perfect for any gathering.
Make sure to grab your bottle from @reservebarspirits (link in stories).
Cheers and happy year of the rabbit!
ingredients:
1½ oz | 45 ml V.S.O.P
¾ oz | 22.5 ml Five Spice Syrup
¾ oz | 22.5 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
4 Drops Sichuan Sesame Tincture
Caramelized Tian Jin Lemon Wheel
Star Anise (Garnish)
instructions:
FIVE SPICE SYRUP
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½ Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Water
1 Tbsp. Honey
2 Tbsp. star anise
1 Tbsp. Fennel Seed
½ Tbsp. Whole Cloves
1 Cinnamon Stick, broken into pieces
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Simmer until sugar is dissolved, store in an airtight container.
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SICHUAN SESAME TINCTURE
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5 oz 151 or other high proof neutral spirit
2 tsp Toasted Sichuan Peppercorn
2 Tianjin Chilis (Broken or crushed)
1 tsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
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Combine all ingredients except garnishes in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into a collins glass. Garnish with pineapple fronds and cinnamon powder. Serve and enjoy!
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If a post is sponsored, this means I was compensated to research, develop and photograph a custom recipe on my own. Thanks y'all!
I’m your huckleberry 🤠
I just got back from Montana with my friends at @traegergrills. It was strictly a grilling event but given what I do, of course I had to get behind the bar. I knew I wanted to incorporate local Montana ingredients like huckleberry, juniper (grown on site) and honey but also wanted to incorporate smoke from the grill. So I had the idea to make a bramble type cocktail.
For the smokey element, I smoked some local raw honey along with some juniper berries on the Traeger to just get a kiss of smoke. I then constructed the cocktail originally using gin like a traditional bramble, but the juniper botanicals overpowered the recipe so I switched to a reposado tequila and knew it was the perfect fit. They also had some locally made huckleberry liqueur which was the perfect last ingredient to top the cocktail and bring that sweet/sour/fruity element to the cocktail. Finally topped it with that smoked juniper berry branch to give it that botanical pop and tricking your brain into thinking you’re drinking a bramble when you’re actually drinking something closer to a margarita.
Given the ingredients and location, it was just fitting to call this the ‘Big Sky Bramble.’ Cheers y’all.
Big thanks to @i_drewcifer for the R&D help!
🎥: @tobojosh / @grillvaultbbq