With the abundance of citrus available this time of year, we like to find different ways to enjoy it. Sometimes—actually oftentimes—we call in the juicer and the liquor cabinet to aid in that effort. Last year, that led to the Paloma Packmule, and more recently the Blood Orange Gin Smash. In that same vein, and with the Oscars coming up this weekend, it seemed like the perfect time to offer a riff on an Old Hollywood classic cocktail: The Brown Derby. This bourbon and grapefruit-based concoction was popularized by the eponymous Hollywood eatery back in the 1930s, and we thought it would be the perfect “hat tip” to the industry’s big party this Sunday. Not wanting Los Angeles to have all of the fun, it also gave us the opportunity to show a little hometown pride. Kentucky was already represented by the bourbon, so that was the easy part. Philly was a little trickier. It’s not like we could shove a cheese steak into the cocktail shaker. Fortunately, Art in the Age came to the rescue.
This Old City Philadelphia boutique tasting room has been around for about a decade and offers a small line of alcohol infusions based on colonial-era recipes. You could say that they were the original purveyors of “Drunk History.” Their sage-infused “garden gin”—based on a recipe favored by none other than one Mr. Thomas Jefferson—was the perfect option for this recipe.
Lacking the distinctive juniper berry flavor associated with traditional gin, the warm herbaceous notes of the sage dominate this aperitif and pair perfectly with the woody oak and wheat notes of the bourbon. It also complements the sweet tart character of the cocktail as a whole, evoking the hand-crafted flair of an urban speakeasy. The sage liqueur and bitters impart such a remarkable, delectable complexity of flavor, you won’t believe it’s so easy to achieve at home.
The whole affair gets shaken with ice and strained into a lovely coupe glass for even more old school style. Top it with a “smacked” sage leave (clap the leaf between your palms to warm it slightly and release some of its fragrant oil) and take a sip. Close your eyes and you can practically hear the tinkling of glasses and the low murmur of deals being struck between studio heads and movie stars…
While the Art in the Age infusions are absolutely worth seeking out, don’t feel like you can’t enjoy this cocktail without them. An easy cheat is just to add a little extra bourbon (oh, darn) and a couple of torn sage leaves to the cocktail shaker and put a little more elbow grease into the shaking. There is also the more flavorful option of using a sage-infused simple syrup, which could find its way into a whole host of other recipes and isn’t hard to make—it is called simple syrup for a reason. Of course, if you have the time and inclination, you could always whip up an infusion on your own, like this one.
However you make it, this is a lovely libation to have in your repertoire, not only because of its wonderful flavor, but also because it’s always nice to have a story and history to go along with it. You could say that it’s the perfect way to shake the ice, then break the ice. To all of the movie nerds like us, good luck on your Oscar picks this year (personally cheering for Kubo and the Two Strings), and to all of our booze hounds out there, Cheers! To paraphrase Kubo, “If you must drink, do it now…”
Adapted from Bon Appetit.
- 1½ oz. bourbon
- ½ oz. Sage liqueur
- 2 oz. fresh red or pink grapefruit juice
- ½ oz. fresh lime juice
- ¼ oz. agave syrup (nectar) or simple syrup
- 2 dashes bitters (I used orange)
- 1 fresh sage leaf
- Combine bourbon, Sage liqueur, grapefruit juice, lime juice, agave, and bitters in a cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice and shake until outside is frosty, about 30 seconds; strain into a coupe glass. Slap sage leaf between your palms until fragrant; float on top of cocktail.
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