Happy (Almost) Valentines Day, everyone! This week Robbie and I created a perfect cocktail for both cocktail lovers and beer enthusiasts that you can share over a romantic dinner. The inspiration came from a cocktail we had on one of our favorite dates at the High Street on Market in Philly. The drink that inspired ours had a housemade IPA reduction, which was amazing. It had the crema, bitter and floral notes of an IPA and the potency and complexity of a craft cocktail. It was one of the many amazing details that made this one of our favorite dates, and one of our newest favorite restaurants.
I decided that I needed to recreate this cocktail, but neither Robbie nor I are particularly excited by IPAs. A stout beer seemed more appropriate during this particularly cold winter. The ideal concentration for the stout involves reducing the volume of the beer by two thirds. The best way to accomplish this is to heat your stout on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the beer starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 30 minutes.
For Valentine's day I chose Yard's Love Stout; it's chocolate notes complement the spicy notes of Bulleit Rye Whiskey perfectly. To lighten the cocktail just a little, I added a few dashes of orange bitters. The final product is strong and warm, and will inspire you to sidle a little closer to your loved one at dinner. Enjoy!
Love and Rye:
6 oz of Bulleit Rye Whiskey
3 oz Yard's Love Stout reduction
1 oz maple syrup
6 dashes of orange bitters
Shake and strain into two champagne coupes. Garnish with an orange twist.
XO
Pat