Liquid Gold is rich, both in flavor and name, so it seemed fitting to create a cocktail that lived up to its namesake. I like to think of this cocktail as the pairing for going to visit a treasure trove. Deep caramel notes from the whiskey, supported by the herbal notes from chamomile, and unctuous, maillard flavors from roasted lemon and honey, and of course, a bit of gold luster goes a long way to make it a cocktail fit for dragons and mortals alike.
Ingredients
1.5oz Liquid Gold Whiskey
0.5oz Roasted Lemon Chamomile Tea Concentrate*
3oz dry sparkling wine
Tiny pinch of edible gold luster dust (optional, for garnish)
Method
- Chill sparkling wine until it is very cold.
- Add Liquid Gold Whiskey, Tea Concentrate and gold luster dust to a champagne flute. Stir gently until just mixed.
- Pour sparkling wine slowly to the top of the glass, taking care that the bubbles do not overfill it. Stir gently midway through to fully incorporate the ingredients.
- Give the cocktail a final gentle stir, and serve.
Roasted Lemon Chamomile Tea Concentrate (yield: 16oz)
Ingredients
10oz water
2 chamomile tea bags
1 lemon
8oz liquid honey
Method
- Boil water in a small pot, then remove from heat. Add the tea bags to the pot, and steep for 5 minutes to create a very strong, concentrated brew. Remove tea bags and discard.
- Add honey and stir until the honey is completely mixed into the brew.
- Separately, roast one lemon, cut in half, cut side down, on a clean baking sheet for 15 minutes at 420°C. The cut side will caramelize and turn dark brown, even slightly black; this is normal, do not discard.
- Place the roasted lemon in the tea, and squish gently using tongs to allow the roasted lemon juice to infuse in the tea concentrate.
- Once all the juice has been extracted from the lemon, carefully pour the hot liquid through a fine mesh strainer to remove any pulp.
- Bottle and refrigerate. Use within 4 weeks; shake gently before use.