Rye of the Tiger
Ingredients
Syrup
- ½ cup lightly packed fresh lavender flowers or 8 teaspoons dried lavender flowers (see Notes)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
Cocktail
- 2-1/2 ounces rye
- 1/2 ounce cassis or Crème de cassis
- 1/2 ounce lavender syrup
- 4 dashes lavender bitters
- Garnish with a lemon twist
Instructions
- Roughly chop lavender flowers. Rinse in a colander. (No need to chop or rinse dried flowers.)
- In a saucepan set over medium-high heat add water and sugar. Stir until sugar completely dissolves and mixture comes to a simmer. Remove the pan from heat. Add chopped lavender, cover and let steep for 15 minutes. (It can become bitter if steeped too long.) Pour syrup through a sieve into a clean jar and refrigerate. Syrup keeps two months or longer in the refrigerator. Makes 1-1/2 cups.
- In a cocktail shaker, add rye, cassis, lavender syrup and lavender bitters. Add ice cubes to the shaker.
- Shake for about 20 seconds.
- Pour into a Nick and Nora or coupe glass. (You could also serve it in an old fashioned glass with ice.)
- Garnish with a lemon twist.
Notes
* Use just the purple lavender flowers (not the green stems). The end result will smell of lavender and have a light purple hue.
* If you are using dried lavender flowers, be sure that they are of a culinary quality. The rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon fresh to 1 teaspoon dried (this applies generally when replacing fresh herbs with dried herbs). ½ cup fresh lavender is 8 tablespoons, so if you're using dried lavender, use 8 teaspoons (or 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons).
* You can prepare the syrup well in advance (with fresh summer lavender) and freeze it for up to six months.
* If you are using dried lavender flowers, be sure that they are of a culinary quality. The rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon fresh to 1 teaspoon dried (this applies generally when replacing fresh herbs with dried herbs). ½ cup fresh lavender is 8 tablespoons, so if you're using dried lavender, use 8 teaspoons (or 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons).
* You can prepare the syrup well in advance (with fresh summer lavender) and freeze it for up to six months.
