Hophead
Before becoming a cocktail nerd, I was a beer nerd. I know, shocker. I still enjoy beer, especially a really hoppy IPA. I tried @leopoldbros Fernet (as part of my R&D for @homebarawards finals— congrats @denisgor!), and my initial impression was…that is was very bitter. I don’t say that very often, but I also don’t back down from a spirit that seems challenging at first impression.
Not all bitter is created equal. In this instance, it was a very drying (almost dank) herbal bitterness that closely resembles hops. Hop I know and like, so I went with that mindset. To accentuate the hops, I used a delicious beer whiskey that I’ve talked about before (10/16/21) and split this base with a friendly, more neutral Irish whisky. Hops and grapefruit are a classic pair so the garnish and sweeter brings in those flavors. The build still needed something to round it out and tie it together, and for reasons I can’t fully explain, the Sotol played that role perfectly here without encroaching on the key flavors. It has malty sweetness and grapefruit up front and a clean, lingering bitterness on the back.
Recipe
1oz beer whiskey (@vitaespirits)
0.5oz Irish whisky (@mcconnellsirishwhisky, gifted
0.5oz Sotol (@desertdoor)
0.5oz crème de pamplemousse
0.25oz Fernet Leopold (@leopoldbros)
Stir all ingredients with ice until chilled. Strain into chilled glass and garnish with grapefruit twist (or rose). Cheers!!
