“This was me just trying to dig into the syrup world again,” explains Jelani Johnson of his Exotic Orchard, a fall-friendly spin on the Mai Tai, which calls on a blend of house-made orgeat and four-spice syrup as sweetener. To this, Johnson adds the expected blend of rums—in this case Plantation O.F.T.D and Coruba Jamaican rum—atop a base of apricot eau de vie compounded by a measure of pear liqueur for a fruit-forward drink that lives up to its name.
Exotic Orchard
Jelani Johnson, Clover Club | Brooklyn, NY
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 3/4 ounce Blume Marillen Apricot Eau de Vie
- 1/2 ounce Plantation O.F.T.D. rum
- 1/2 ounce Coruba Jamaica Rum
- 1/4 ounce Mathilde Poire liqueur
- 1 teaspoon Frangelico
- 3/4 ounce lemon juice
- 3/4 ounce Exotic Sugar (1:1, pistachio orgeat: quatre epices syrup), see Editor's Note
Garnish: mint, grated nutmeg
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin and briefly whip shake with ice.
- Pour into a tiki mug.
- Garnish with mint and grated nutmeg.
Editor's Note
Pistachio Orgeat:
1 cup crushed and toasted pistachios
2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups water
In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let sit overnight at room temperature before straining and storing.
Quatre Epices Syrup:
2 cups white sugar
2 cups water
1/4 ounce ground nutmeg
1/4 ounce ground cloves
1/4 ounce ground white peppercorn
1/2 ounce ground ginger
In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool before using. Do not strain.