AT THE BAR
Dumante Verdenoce
Louisville, Ky.
Sicilian Manhattan
Orange zest
2 parts premium Kentucky bourbon
1 part Dumante Verdenoce
Splash blood orange bitters
Orange slice, to garnish
Method: Rim martini glass with orange
zest. Shake bourbon, Dumante and
bitters with ice; serve up. Garnish with
orange slice.
make. Signature cocktails have seen
dramatic growth during the last few years.”
The Snap Dragon combines Yazi and
green-tea liqueur with tonic water for a
light, crisp cocktail. The Dragon Drop is
Yazi, triple sec, sweet and sour, sugar and
muddled lemon, and is served chilled and
up. The Shanghai Lemon Drop is a twist
on the traditional lemon drop, with Yazi,
limoncello and peach bitters shaken with
ice and served up.
tall with tonic, ginger ale or cola. Hum can
also serve as a replacement for sweet
vermouth or orange liqueur to kick up the
classic Negroni, Manhattan or margarita.
St-Germain, an artisanal liqueur, was
launched in 2007 by The Cooper Spirits
Company, New York. It is the first liqueur
in the world created in the artisanal
French manner from freshly handpicked
elderflower blossoms. The wild blossoms
are gathered in the foothills of the Alps a
few days each spring.
Herbs, spices and flower essences
While there are many nut-based liqueurs,
infusing spirits with herbs, spices and
flower essences is another popular way to
add interesting flavor.
Yazi Ginger Vodka, which was launched in
2006 in the Northwest, is now expanding
to other areas of the country and currently
is carried in bars and restaurants in 38
states. “We wanted to create a spirit
that would be unique, yet approachable
to mixologists as well as the at-home
bartender,” says Bledso.
Another new mixable liqueur is hum, a
botanical spirit composed of organic rum
infused with fair-trade hibiscus, organic
ginger, green cardamom and kaffir
lime. Produced by The Hum Spirits Co.,
Chicago, it debuted in November 2009,
and currently is available in five states and
quickly expanding across the country.
The liqueur has a subtle, yet complex,
flavor, reminiscent of tropical fruits, pear
and citrus. St-Germain is extremely versatile
and pairs well with all base spirits, adding
character to any cocktail. Some popular
renditions are the St-Germain Cocktail,
made with champagne and club soda;
Yazi is made with four different species
of ginger, as well as extracts from lemon,
orange, cayenne and red pepper, giving
it a sweet and spicy flavor. “This allows it
to pair well with a variety of other cocktail
ingredients, especially fruit. Many of our
drink recipes include cranberry, lemon or
apple juice,” Bledso adds.
Inspired by the great amaros of Italy, hum
was created by celebrated mixologists
Adam Seger of Chicago and London’s Joe
McCanta. An inventive cocktail made with
hum is the Botanical Timewarp, made with
equal parts hum and Benedictine. “We call
it the ‘timewarp,’ as hum was launched in
November and Benedictine just celebrated
its 500th anniversary,” says Seger. “The
drink is delicious, with hum’s spicy hibiscus
balanced with Benedictine’s herbal
complex earthiness. Hum is also great
chilled and topped with sparkling wine.”
She says Yazi cocktails were created with
a female audience in mind. “We wanted
to create drinks that are fun, unique and
visually stimulating, but also simple to
He says hum can be enjoyed on the rocks
with lime and a splash of soda or served
St-Germain liqueur, with a flavor reminiscent
of tropical fruits, pear and citrus, is shaken
with champagne and club soda for this
signature St-Germain Cocktail.
