Rich Rhythms
It’s wild to me just how richly pigmented beets are. If you haven’t cooked with them: it’s best to wear gloves so your hands don’t look like you’ve committed a horrible crime for the next day or two. That gorgeous magenta (seriously, look at those droplets!) and signature earthy flavor is easy to infuse into spirits. Here, I added a half of a small roasted beet (cut into small pieces) to 6oz of spirit for 24hr at room temperature before straining / bottling / refrigerating.
The spirit of choice was Bacanora, an agave spirit with a lovely earthy/slightly smokey profile. The primary flavor pairing here is dark chocolate— the roasty, earthy notes from cocoa nibs are an insanely good match for beets. The foresty, minty Braulio and a touch of orange bitters rounds out this flavor profile beautifully. I also added a little whiskey, whose sweetness and barrel aging add a necessary bass note to anchor the drink.
Recipe
1.5oz Beet-infused Bacanora (@kilingabacanora, gifted)
0.5oz Irish whiskey (@elementwhiskey, gifted)
0.5oz Créme de Cacao (@tempus_fugit_spirits)
2 dashes Orange bitters
Stir, strain, express/discard lemon twist. Garnish with dark chocolate (seriously don’t skip this step). I used @cocochocolatier 61%. Cheers!!
