First things first:

The Cocktail

I made a wonderful accidental discovery recently when making a Jack Rose. Ordinarily a Jack Rose is composed of:

1 1/2 ounce applejack
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce grenadine
Shaken, strained, garnished with lime wedge.

When I make R&D batches of syrups and other ingredients I frequently neglect to label them: despite all evidence to the contrary, I’m firmly convinced that I’ll remember or recognize what’s in each bottle. I finally labeled one completely clear, vodka-looking bottle: “Concentrated Orris Root Distillate – Do Not Taste Again.”  Unsweetened and at that strength, it tastes like violet perfume.

So, for my Jack Rose I grabbed the bottle of cinnamon syrup instead of the grenadine. Oh Happy Accident!  The result was an absolutely delicious drink that highlights the apple flavors of the applejack more than anything I’ve tasted.  It’s like biting into a fresh, crisp apple.

I make  cinnamon syrup from true Ceylon cinnamon and it’s subtle but flavorful in a drink. It has a completely different flavor from the cassia-oil-based schnapps and syrups out there, so instead of a spicy, Red-Hots™ flavor, it comes across mellow, warm and dry.

I haven’t named it, but you should try one:

2 ounce applejack
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce true cinnamon syrup
1/4 ounce grenadine
Shaken, strained, garnished with lime wedge.

The Distillery

Things have been moving slowly around Gnostalgic Spirits so far this summer. While the state license is all lined up, and we’re almost ready to submit for federal licensing, we’ve pushed the probable opening date back a couple months to sometime in the fall.

As part of our business model, we’ve always included plans for contract production, so if anyone is interested in having us produce a brand, we’d be happy to hear about your ideas and will be ready to discuss those beginning in September.

Social Media

We’ve change our Twitter account name from @AbsintheMarteau to @Gnostalgic. It’s not a new account, just a name change, so we should still have all of our followers and followees.

Have a great summer!
~ Gwydion