This easy-to-make cocktail was one of the earlier drinks I created for the bar menu at our Brentwood restaurant, Tavern. It is made with a honey syrup infused with fresh ginger and chiles de árbol, so you get those flavors and that heat in the cocktail. I added grapefruit to make it tangy.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 1 cocktail

　　

Honey Árbol Ginger Syrup:

¾ cup orange blossom honey

　　¼ cup boiling water

　　2 ounces fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped (about ½ cup)

　　½-inch piece chile de árbol, plus more to taste

　　

For the Cocktail:

1½ ounces bourbon

　　1 ounce fresh grapefruit juice (about ¼ grapefruit, preferably Ruby Red)

　　¾ ounce fresh lemon juice (less than 1 lemon)

　　½ ounce Honey Árbol Ginger Syrup

　　

Step 1

To make the Honey Árbol Ginger Syrup: Put the honey and water in a blender and stir until the honey dissolves. Add the ginger and chile and blend on high speed until the ginger is pulverized. Strain through a chinois or cheesecloth and discard the solids. Let the syrup cool to room temperature. Transfer to a small jar or bottle and refrigerate for up to 1 month. 

　　

Step 2

To make the cocktail: Combine the cocktail ingredients in a shaker. Fill the shaker with ice cubes, cover, and shake hard for 7 seconds. Use a Hawthorne strainer to strain the cocktail into a coupe glass. Garnish with the chile de árbol slices.

　　From Bar Chef: Handcrafted Cocktails by Christiaan Röllich, copyright © 2019. Photography by Ed Anderson. Published byW. W. Norton & Company. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.