Venus Fly Trap

Jelani Johnson, Clover Club | Brooklyn, NY

Venus Fly Trap

Inspired by a sponsored Tiki Monday with Miller, helmed by tiki iconoclast Brian Miller, which highlighted pisco, gin and rum brands, this drink calls on all three for a result that’s as unexpected as the carnivorous plant from which it takes its name. “I like to make spirit blends,” says Jelani Johnson by way of explanation. To a pisco base, Johnson adds Jamaican rum and gin, which are complemented by passionfruit, orgeat and lime and served over crushed ice. The result is, in his words, “fruity, complex, tropical.”

Ingredients

Serving: 1

  • 1 ounce Macchu Pisco
  • 1 ounce Macchu Pisco
  • 3/4 ounce Gordon's Gin
  • 3/4 ounce Gordon's Gin
  • 1/2 ounce Appleton Reserve Blend Rum
  • 1/2 ounce Appleton Reserve Blend Rum
  • 1/2 ounce Zacapa Rum
  • 1/2 ounce Zacapa Rum
  • 1/2 ounce lemon juice
  • 1/2 ounce lemon juice
  • 1/2 ounce passionfruit concentrate, preferably The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley
  • 1/2 ounce passionfruit concentrate, preferably The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley
  • 1/2 ounce Latitude 29 Formula Falernum
  • 1/2 ounce Latitude 29 Formula Falernum
  • 1/4 ounce Latitude 29 Formula Orgeat
  • 1/4 ounce Latitude 29 Formula Orgeat
  • 1/4 ounce Orgeat Works Ltd. T'Orgeat
  • 1/4 ounce Orgeat Works Ltd. T'Orgeat
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon bark syrup (see Editor's Note)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon bark syrup (see Editor's Note)

Garnish: orchid, Fly Trap (lime and cherry)

Directions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin and whip shake (with crushed or pebble ice) to chill.
  2. Pour into a tall Pilsner glass over crushed ice.
  3. Garnish with a Fly Trap (lime and cherry, skewered) and an orchid.
Editor's Note

Cinnamon Bark Syrup
1 ounce gently crushed cinnamon bark
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool overnight at room temperature, then strain.