Rubber Soul

Brandon Sass | Minneapolis, Minnesota

cocktail illustration

Young Joni general manager Brandon Sass created this Penicillin riff when the restaurant had to shut down dining due to the pandemic. Part of a takeaway cocktail kit, the Rubber Soul exemplifies how gochujang—the smoky, sweet Korean red pepper paste—can add nuanced spice to a variety of classic cocktails, packing a lot of flavor for an at-home drink. He says the variation can work with any spirit, though tequila’s earthy flavor can work especially well.

Ingredients

Serving: 1

  • 2 ounces blanco tequila
  • 2 ounces blanco tequila
  • 1/3 ounce lemon juice
  • 1/3 ounce lemon juice
  • 1 ounce Som Ginger Cordial or homemade ginger-vinegar cordial (see Editor’s Note)
  • 1 ounce Som Ginger Cordial or homemade ginger-vinegar cordial (see Editor’s Note)
  • 1/2 ounces gochujang-honey syrup (see Editor’s Note)
  • 1/2 ounces gochujang-honey syrup (see Editor’s Note)
  • 1 1/2 ounces Lapsang souchong tea, cooled
  • 1 1/2 ounces Lapsang souchong tea, cooled
  • 1 dash Bittercube Jamaican No. 1 Bitters
  • 1 dash Bittercube Jamaican No. 1 Bitters

Garnish: dehydrated lemon, crystallized ginger candy, pink peppercorns

Directions
  1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and mix well.
  2. Pour into a rocks glass with ice.
  3. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon, then top with a piece of crystallized ginger and pink peppercorns.
Editor's Note

Ginger-Vinegar Cordial
Combine equal parts (by weight) ginger syrup (1:1, fresh ginger juice to sugar, blended) and rice vinegar.

Gochujang-Honey Syrup
1 teaspoon gochujang paste
1 quart honey syrup (1:1, honey to water, by weight)

In a Vitamix or high-speed blender, add ingredients and blend until gochujang is completely dissolved in the honey syrup. Store in the refrigerator for up to 30 days.

Tagged: honey syrup, penicillin, tea, tequila

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