Dear Elijah

Megan Cross, Genghis Cohen | Los Angeles

Dear Elijah Megan Cross'

After the bourbon, ice is the most critical component in Cross’ interpretation of the Old-Fashioned. It’s where she stashes certain flavors she hopes to unlock as the drink warms—namely, toasted coconut, a key basenote in Elijah Craig. She prepares a flavored mixture that is frozen into the glass on the bias (in other words, a diagonal slab, slanted from the bottom of one corner to the top of another). As the ice melts, the cocktail becomes infused with its flavor.

Ingredients

Serving: 1

  • 2½ ounces Elijah Craig Small Batch
  • 2½ ounces Elijah Craig Small Batch
  • ½ ounce Frangelico
  • ½ ounce Frangelico
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Garnish: orange twist, white and purple orchids

Directions
  1. Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and stir.
  2. Pour into a double Old-Fashioned glass prepared with a frozen ice mixture (see Editor’s Note).
  3. Express an orange peel over the drink and discard.
  4. Garnish with white and purple orchids.
Editor's Note

Ice Mixture
(Makes 2)
1 ounce toasted coconut flakes (unsweetened)
1 ounce demerara syrup (2:1 ratio)
2 ounces water
2 dashes pecan bitters
3 drops saline

Combine ingredients and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Strain 2 ounces into a double Old-Fashioned glass, and freeze on a bias.