The Tom Cat !
Ingredients:
The Tom Cat:
2 ounces Hayman’s Old Tom gin
2 ounces mezcal
1 1/2 ounces dry sherry
1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth (Antica is a good choice)
8 drops House Bitters (recipe below)
Ice cubes
Dehydrated grapefruit slices for garnish
House Bitters:
Peels from 3 oranges and 2 grapefruits, pith scraped away with a paring knife, thinly sliced
Peel from 1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups overproof rum (rum with an alcohol content greater than 57.5%)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise pod
4 cardamom pods
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Directions:
The Tom Cat:
In a cocktail shaker, combine the gin, mezcal, sherry, vermouth, and bitters. Add enough ice to fill the shaker to the top and shake vigorously. Strain into two coupe glasses containing a few large chunks of ice and garnish with grapefruit slices before serving.
House Bitters:
Preheat the oven to 225°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange two- thirds of the orange peels and all of the grapefruit peels on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the peels are completely dehydrated, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and then remove from the parchment paper.
In a large, sterilized glass jar fitted with a tight lid, combine the dehydrated peels with the lemon peel, rum, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, and nutmeg. Shake vigorously and store in a warm, dry place near a window for 2 to 2½ weeks, or until the desired flavor intensity is achieved.
Transfer the liquid to a pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes and then let cool to room temperature. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve with a double layer of cheesecloth. Using a funnel, transfer the bitters to small bottles fitted with eye- droppers. The bitters will keep in a cool, dry place for up to a year.
Courtesy: Jody Eddy
Photo by Rocky Luten
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