Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/491440
24 | MAY + JUNE 2015 nshoremag.com Hide & Seek These spirits have hidden ingredients you'd never guess taste so good. BY BRANDY RAND drink photographs by Glenn Scott, drink styling by Natasha Taylor, spirits courtesy of Kappy's Fine Wine & Spirits and Chebacco Market WHAT DO ARTICHOKES, SAF- fron, and chicken have in com- mon? Yes, they'd make a great meal, but would you drink them in a cocktail? We've uncovered some weirdly wonderful spirits that tout these ingredients as an essential part of their distillation process. The resulting tastes are not what you'd expect: sweet, smoky, and decidedly sippable. Cynar Old-school bitter Italian liqueurs have enjoyed a resurgence among bartenders for their com- plex flavor and mixability. One such brand is Cynar (CHEE-nar), created in 1952 and named after one of its 13 ingredients, the arti- choke (Cynara scolmymus). No, it doesn't taste like artichokes. With bittersweet notes of eu- calyptus and honey, this dark cola-colored liqueur is excellent on its own as a digestif or mixed with club soda or orange juice. Cynar is often used as a substi- tute for Campari in the Negroni, as in this twist on a classic called the Cin-Cyn Cocktail. Del Maguey Pechuga Mezcal, the smoky, seductive cousin of tequila, is all the rage among spirit aficionados. Some of this affection has to do with the unique production process, although most of it has to do with the extraordinary taste. Del DINE CIN-CYN COCKTAIL Makes one drink > 1 oz. Cynar > 1 oz. gin > 1 oz. sweet vermouth > Dash of Peychaud's or Angostura bitters > 2 orange wedges, sliced 1/2-in. thick Combine Cynar, gin, sweet vermouth, and bitters in a cocktail shaker. Squeeze the juice of one orange wedge in the shaker. Then, add ice. Shake until well chilled and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the remaining orange wedge.