Signature Drink- State of Grace
On the 11th floor of Hotel La Jolla, Cusp Restaurant has dazzling views of the Pacific Ocean. Bar manager Nate Howell offers a drink menu that’s just as elevated, using house-made infused spirits in cocktails with names like Office with a View and Good Guy Dies in the End. State of Grace, which snagged top honors in a Southern California cocktail competition, is Howell’s take on a hybrid Sazerac/Manhattan. For his winning recipe, Howell aged his own rye in raw, uncharred barrels lined with nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon for more than a month, saving the wash from the barrel for barrel-aged ice. Got just five minutes? Skip the tempering. You’ll still end up with a prize-worthy elixir.
INGREDIENTS:
2 oz. Templeton rye
1/2 oz. Carpano Antica
1/4 oz. Licor 43
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
1 teaspoon absinthe
Orange peel expressed/inserted for garnish
CREATE:
Rinse glass by adding crushed ice and the absinthe to your serving glass. Set aside while you make your cocktail.
Combine Templeton rye, Carpano Antica, Licor 43 and Peychaud’s bitters in a mixing glass.
Stir ingredients until properly diluted.
Discard the rinse from your glass and add large, fresh ice.
Strain ingredients and garnish by expressing an orange peel and drop into cocktail.
Courtesy of CUSP Restaurant, La Jolla.
