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Thunderer

By Christiaan Röllich

5.0

(1)

Photo of spicy bourbon cocktail from Christiaan Röllich.
Photo by Ed Anderson

This easy-to-make cocktail was one of the earlier drinks I created for the bar menu at our Brentwood restaurant, Tavern. It is made with a honey syrup infused with fresh ginger and chiles de árbol, so you get those flavors and that heat in the cocktail. I added grapefruit to make it tangy.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 1 cocktail

Ingredients

Honey Árbol Ginger Syrup:

¾ cup orange blossom honey
¼ cup boiling water
2 ounces fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped (about ½ cup)
½-inch piece chile de árbol, plus more to taste

For the Cocktail:

1½ ounces bourbon
1 ounce fresh grapefruit juice (about ¼ grapefruit, preferably Ruby Red)
¾ ounce fresh lemon juice (less than 1 lemon)
½ ounce Honey Árbol Ginger Syrup

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    To make the Honey Árbol Ginger Syrup: Put the honey and water in a blender and stir until the honey dissolves. Add the ginger and chile and blend on high speed until the ginger is pulverized. Strain through a chinois or cheesecloth and discard the solids. Let the syrup cool to room temperature. Transfer to a small jar or bottle and refrigerate for up to 1 month. 

    Step 2

    To make the cocktail: Combine the cocktail ingredients in a shaker. Fill the shaker with ice cubes, cover, and shake hard for 7 seconds. Use a Hawthorne strainer to strain the cocktail into a coupe glass. Garnish with the chile de árbol slices.

bar chef cover showing bartender making drinks
From Bar Chef: Handcrafted Cocktails by Christiaan Röllich, copyright © 2019. Photography by Ed Anderson. Published by W. W. Norton & Company. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.
TagsCocktailAlcoholBeveragesBourbonWhiskeyGingerHerbs & SpicesChile de ÁrbolChileVegetableGrapefruitCitrusFruitLemonEasyBlenderCookbooks

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