The Portfolio sits in the bold, brash, boozy end of the cocktail spectrum with drinks like Phil Ward’s Oaxaca Old-Fashioned. Shaking this combination of spirits with lemon juice and simple syrup, as opposed to clarified lemon cordial, would collapse the rich architecture of the drink, ruining the very quality that makes it so fascinating—it would be just another sour.
Portfolio
Jack Schramm | New York
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 3/4 ounce mezcal, preferably Del Maguey Vida
- 3/4 ounce Scotch, preferably Chivas 12
- 3/4 ounce amaro, preferably Ramazzotti
- 3/8 ounce Clarified Lemon Cordial (see Editor's Note)
- 5 drops 20% Saline Solution (see Editor's Note)
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass over ice and stir until chilled.
- Strain into a chilled coupe
Editor's Note
Clarified Lemon Cordial:
700 grams clarified lemon juice (see below)
700 grams sugar
100 grams lemon peels
20 grams citric acid
Add sugar, lemon juice, and lemon peels to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring regularly. Cut the heat as soon as the mixture starts to simmer, you do not want to reach a boil. Strain off the peels and add citric acid. Allow to cool and store in the fridge for up to six weeks.
Clarified Lemon Juice
Start with 1000 mL room temperature lemon juice. Add 4 mL Pectinex Ultra SP-L and 4 mL Kieselsol and wait 15 minutes. Add 4 mL Chitosan and wait 15 minutes. Add 4 mL Kieselsol and wait 15 minutes. At this point it should be clearly visible that the juice has "broken." There will be a layer of clear juice suspended between two thicker cloudy layers. Spin in a Spinzall or lab centrifuge set to 4500 RPM for 15 minutes, or wait at least an additional hour and strain through a paper filter. Note: Kieselsol and Chitosan will not work without Pectinase, but you can get 80 percent of the results with just Pectinase.
Saline Solution:
80 grams water
20 grams kosher salt
Add to a container and stir to dissolve. Store in a dropper bottle indefinitely.