Porchlight’s Nick Bennett’s love of funky Batavia arrack is deep-seated: He first encountered it earlier in his career at a now-defunct rum bar, making the spirit permanently associated with rum in his mind. In his Seven Seas Swizzle, Batavia plays well with bittersweet green tea syrup and bright lime, for a mashed-up riff on the Queen Park Swizzle (“One of my favorite cocktails,” says Bennett) and traditional punch ingredients: spirit, citrus, sweetener, spice and tea.
Seven Seas Swizzle
Nick Bennett, Porchlight | New York City
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 2 ounces Batavia arrack
- 1/2 ounce lime juice
- 1/2 ounce green tea-infused cane syrup (see Editor's Note)
- 1 dash orange bitters, preferably Regan's
Garnish: mint bouquet, dusting of nutmeg
Directions
- Build all the ingredients in the appropriate glass and add half the amount of necessary ice.
- Swizzle until the glass is cool.
- Top with ice and garnish with mint bouquet and dusting of nutmeg.
Editor's Note
Green Tea Cane Syrup:
1/4 cup loose green tea
2 cups cane sugar
8 ounces water
Boil the water and steep the green tea in it for 5 minutes. Strain out the tea and add the sugar to the still hot water. Stir until completely dissolved. Let cool before using.