A Taste of the Classics

Raleigh Magazine’s inaugural The Cocktail Classic, presented by The Exchange Raleigh, at Killjoy was the event of the year. Cheers to those who joined us to toast Raleigh and RM’s Bartender of the Year noms as our top 10 ’tenders spun ’tails on riffed classics in tandem with top-tier liquor labels. Now, a glimpse into the spirited affair and the sips we savored throughout the evening… and, since you can’t order them in a bar, your chance to taste them again—or for the first time. Try your hand at shaking up one or all, snap a shot for the ’Gram and tag us. Then, consider this your sign to join us for next year’s spectacular event. It promises to be lit. 

Black Epinephrine
Created by Zoë Palmer, Fox Liquor Bar
Riff on a Penicillin

• 2 oz. Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch whisky
• 1 oz. tea
• 1/4 oz. ginger syrup
• 1/4 oz. honey syrup
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 3 dashes tea bitters
• 11 dashes Fee Brothers Fee foam (eggless
foam alternative)
• Sprinkle of salt/sugar

Salt/sugar the side of a coupe glass. Shake and strain all ingredients into the glass and sprinkle top with salt/sugar.

Tequila & Olive Oil
Created by Will Bryant, The Parlor at Heights House
Riff on a Margarita 

• 2 oz. Adictivo Tequila
• 1/2 oz. Gran Gala orange liqueur
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/4 oz. tangerine juice
• 1/4 oz. agave
• Pinch of salt
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Spring of rosemary for garnish

Add all ingredients to a shaker tin. Add ice and shake for 10 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with rosemary sprig.

The New Gold Standard
Created by Ian Murray, Foundation
Riff on a Gold Rush

• 1 1/2 oz. Cook’s Mill American Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• 1/2 oz. chai-infused blended red vermouth* 
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. lavender-infused honey** 
• 3 dashes of blended orange bitters*** 
• 1 pinch salt

Build in a shaker tin. Shake and double strain into an Old-Fashioned glass over 1 cube. Garnish with lemon twist.

*Chai-Infused Blended Red Vermouth
• 1:1 Cocchi Storico Vermouth di Torino-to-Dolin Rouge Vermouth ratio infused with Twinings chai tea

**Lavender-Infused Honey
• 3:1 honey-to-water ratio steeped with dried lavender buds

***Blended Orange Bitters
• 1:1 Regan’s orange bitters-t0-Fee Brothers orange bitters ratio

PB & Julep
Created by Serena Thurston, Dram & Draught
Riff on a mint julep

• 2 oz. Woodford Reserve bourbon
• 3 oz. strawberry puree*
• Peanut butter sweet cream foam**
• Mint
• Chocolate-covered strawberry
• Julep glass (preferably a clear one)

Add strawberry puree to the bottom of the glass. Fill the glass with crushed ice and add Woodford Reserve (or your whiskey of choice). Slowly pour the peanut butter sweet cream foam on top to make a nice thick layer. For garnish, lay a small mint leaf on top, and if you want to up the fun-factor, stick a chocolate-covered strawberry on the glass!

*Strawberry puree
• 1 qt. strawberries
• 1 qt. sugar
• 3 mint sprigs

Cut strawberries and add to blender, along with sugar and mint. Blend completely until all big chunks are gone. Once blended, pour puree through a fine strainer to get rid of any seeds (usually takes about 2 strains).

**Peanut Butter Sweet Cream Foam

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 oz. half-and-half
• 1 oz. peanut butter or chocolate liqueur
• 2 Tbsp. peanut butter powder
• ~4 tsp. brown sugar

Combine all ingredients into a shaker and shake for about 20 seconds. After shaking, pour into a blender and set to a medium speed. Blend until consistency is creamy/frothy. Alternatively, if you have an emulsifier you can just mix all of the ingredients in the shaker for 20 seconds or until it’s the consistency you prefer. 

Kill Devil Calling 
Created by Christian Gibbs, The Haymaker
Riff on a daiquiri

• 2 oz. vanilla bean-infused Kill Devil rum*
• 1 oz. pineapple juice
• 3/4 oz. simple syrup
• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. coconut water
• 1/2 oz. coconut cream
• 1/2 oz. heavy cream
• Dehydrated pineapple and/or pineapple leaf (optional for garnish)
• Add ingredients to a shaker tin. Add ice and shake. Strain into a Collins glass and garnish with dehydrated pineapple and/or pineapple leaf.

*Vanilla Bean-Infused Kill Devil Rum
Take 1 vanilla bean and slice it down the side so the inside is exposed. Add to a bottle of Kill Devil rum. Give it a light shake; then let sit for 6–8 hours. Remove the vanilla bean. Keep the rum sealed and refrigerated.

Clarified Daiquiri Version
To make a clarified version, start with 2 mixing vessels. In the first: Mix together the rum, pineapple, simple syrup, lime juice and coconut water. In the second: Mix together the coconut milk and heavy cream. Then pour the rum mixture into the coconut milk/cream mixture. Stir lightly and let sit for 3 hours. While the mixture is curdling, set up a filtration device. A pour-over coffee setup with a coffee filter will work perfectly. Once the mixture has curdled and separated, slowly pour the mixture into the filter. The first 3–4 ounces that drain will have a cloudy look. You can remove that and discard, or add back into your mix to restrain. Keep slowly pouring in, and the mixture will create its own filter. This part is slow but important. Allow it to strain itself and you are left with a clarified cocktail that can be enjoyed over ice. It should taste just like a pineapple daiquiri, but with a silky, sipping texture. To make a large batch, just multiply the amount of each ingredient by how many servings you want. 

Back in the Day
Created by Connor Cooke, Clockwork
Riff on an Old-Fashioned

• 2 oz. Southern Star double rye
• 1/2 oz. Nonino amaro
• 1/2 oz. cherimoya grapefruit simple syrup
• Dash orange bitters 

Combine ingredients, stir and pour over a large rock of ice in a rocks glass. Add a dash of orange bitters.

Perfect Blue
Created by Clovis LaCour, William & Company
A riff on a gin martini

• 2 oz. Conniption Kinship gin
• 3/4 oz. acid-adjusted Cocchi Americano Bianco 
• 3/4 oz. tamarind and lemongrass dry vermouth
• 4 drops homemade chile-lemon oil
• 1 mint leaf

Stir together the first 3 ingredients and serve up. Garnish with mint leaf and drops of chile-lemon oil.

Miss Charming
Created by Ingrid Folkers, Whiskey Kitchen
Riff on a cosmopolitan

• 1 1/2 oz. Deep Eddy lemon vodka
• 3/4 oz. triple sec
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1 1/2 oz. raspberry rosé honey syrup*
• Orange rose oil**

Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake until diluted. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with dried spring flower petals and a spritz of orange rose oil from an atomizer.

*Raspberry Rosé Honey Syrup
• 8 oz. dry rosé (preferably a French rosé consisting of 100% grenache)
• 6 oz. raspberries
• 8 oz. honey

In a small saucepan, heat the rosé and raspberries on medium heat. Simmer until raspberries lose most of their color. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Keep the liquid and discard the solids. Return liquid to the saucepan and stir in the honey over low heat. Heat until combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before refrigerating. The syrup should last in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. 

**Orange Rose Oil
• 50 grams granulated sugar
• 50 grams orange peels (be sure to remove as much of the pith as possible) 
• 1/2 tsp. rose water

In a Tupperware container, combine sugar and orange peels. Let sit at room temperature for 12–24 hours to allow the sugar to extract the oils from the orange peels. Add the rose water and stir to combine. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, discarding the solids. Add the resulting liquid to an atomizer. Keep refrigerated. The orange rose oil should last up to 2 months.

The Honeypie
Created by Reese Hailey, Aunty Betty’s
Riff on a Tom Collins
• 2 oz. Cathead honeysuckle vodka
• 3/4 oz. pumpkin pie orgeat
• 1/4 oz. honeysuckle syrup
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• Splash of tonic 

Mix all ingredients in a shaker tin. Shake and strain into a rocks glass. Top with a splash of tonic and a lemon slice.

White Negroni 
Created by Kelly Lynch, Watts & Ward
Riff on a Negroni
• 1 1/2 oz. Sutler’s gin 
• 1/4 oz. Suze 
• 1/4 oz. seaweed-infused dry vermouth*
• 3/4 oz. chamomile- and cardamom-infused Lillet Blanc**

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir for 10 seconds. Strain into a rocks
glass with ice.

*Seaweed-Infused Dry Vermouth 
Add 1 cup of dry vermouth and 3 or 4 small- to medium-size pieces of dried seaweed (nori, kombu or wakame are good options) to a clean airtight Mason jar. Seal tight and let it sit for 24 hours at room temperature. Keep in mind that seaweed can impart a strong flavor, so don’t overinfuse unless you want a very pronounced seaweed taste. Once you’re satisfied with the level of seaweed flavor, strain the infused vermouth through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a clean bottle. This will remove any bits of seaweed and debris.

**Chamomile- and Cardamom-Infused Lillet Blanc 
Start by lightly crushing 4–6 cardamom pods to release their flavor (the best way to do this is to use the flat side of a knife). Heat up a small amount of water (about 1/4 cup) to near-boiling and steep the chamomile tea bag for 5–10 minutes to create a concentrated chamomile tea. You want the tea to be stronger than you would drink it because it will dilute when added to the Lillet. Place the crushed cardamom pods and chamomile tea into a clean airtight jar; then add about 1 cup of Lillet Blanc. Seal the container tightly to prevent any air from getting in. Keep your infusion at room temperature, shaking the jar occasionally. Let the mixture infuse for at least 24–48 hours. Taste the Lillet periodically to check the level of flavor. Once you’re satisfied with the infusion, strain the Lillet Blanc through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a clean bottle. This will remove the cardamom pods and any tea residue.