The Advocate Cocktail Series #6: American Werewolf
American Werewolf
Each year when quince comes into season, we order a case and make syrup for one of our favorite spring drinks at Comal, the Quince Essential, and every year we never make enough. By the time we’re ready for another batch, the window for fresh quince has closed, and we’re forced to shuffle the menu and wait for next year. This time I planned ahead and ordered two cases, which in retrospect may have been a bit much. The end result was 60 liters of quince syrup that would last us through the dog days of summer, when berries and stone fruit abound. Bringing half to the Advocate was more of a house-keeping decision than shrewd menu planning. Joanna, Comal’s bar lead, emerged from the walk-in refrigerator one day, handed me a large container of quince syrup on my way out the door, and said something to the effect of: “here, get this out of my way and use it for something.”
Always up for a challenge, I began to think about gin, and the limitations one runs into when only using rum or agave spirits in cocktails. The Advocate doesn’t face these obstacles, and I remembered wanting to try a botanical spin on Comal’s smokey, spicy, quince cocktail with gin and Chartreuse: basically a locally-sourced, seasonal Last Word.
Tarragon always infuses nicely into gin, and adds a slight anise flavor, offsetting the floral notes provided by Meyer lemon juice - we substituted Meyers for the usual Lisbon lemons called for in a traditional Last Word cocktail as they are currently in season, locally abundant, and delicious. The quince syrup lends depth to the cocktail, providing warmth and roundness, with a touch of earth and spice to ground the high-toned accents of herb and citrus.
When considering the predominant flavors of a fruit as subtle as quince, I reconsidered it’s earthiness as it relates to terroir. The drink already included locally-sourced ingredients, so it made sense to try it with a gin made from locally-sourced botanicals-and it worked. Lance Winters from St. George spirits got the idea for his Terroir gin from numerous hikes in the East Bay hills - an epiphany I can relate to as Comal’s redwood bough-infused rum cocktail was devised on those same trails. The distinct smell of bay laurel, eucalyptus and redwood is one of those childhood olfactory imprints so vivid it can transport me to a place in time in an instant. Tasting Lance’s gin is the closest liquid approximation to these memories and I love it. Countless batches in, he still harvests fresh bay laurel, along with other botanicals, from Mt. Tam himself - as much hands-on quality control as an excuse to get out of the office.
Chartreuse is one of those irreplaceable cocktail crutches every bartender uses because it’s impossible to replicate, and lends itself so well to anything herbal or botanical. And while much has been written about its ancient recipe made by monks sworn to secrecy, or that the liqueur predates the color it’s named after, I’m more impressed by its irreplaceable flavor and myriad uses. Much like Campari, Heinz Ketchup or an Oscar Meyer hot dog, you almost don’t want to know the complete recipe because attempting to create that exact flavor is a fool’s errand - I’ve tried. Chartreuse is best utilized as a flavor bridge: connecting fruit, spice, citrus and heat in such a way that the individual elements can’t be discerned immediately, but leaves the palate guessing as the drink hits all corners of the taste spectrum. What makes the Last Word a modern classic is its simplicity of build compared to its intricacies of flavor; our locally sourced, seasonal derivation aims to be just that, simple, nuanced, and most importantly delicious.
Matthew McKinley Campbell