One thing that truly differentiates beer and spirits from wine, apart from the obvious, is that both allow for the addition of non-traditional ingredients. Although there are style guidelines and “rules” for both beer and spirits, innovators in both industries tend to bend them, if not completely break them.
As with most artisan creations, cocktail recipes are often inspired by one specific ingredient, whether it be a particular brand of spirit of a specific beer. A Sazerac would not be a Sazerac without, yep you guessed it, Sazerac.
The Mad Botanist was inspired by Bison Brewing’s “Saison de Wench” — a Belgian-farmhouse style ale brewed with botanicals (rose, hibiscus, lemongrass & pink peppercorn), and St. George’s “Botanivore Gin” — an artisan spirit distilled with 19 different botanicals.
To compliment and enhance the floral and herbal characteristics in the beer, I chose to prepare the cocktail with a housemade hibiscus syrup and rose tincture. The result is a bright pink, slightly tart, and extremely aromatic cocktail.
The Mad Botanist
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz. St. George Botanivore Gin
- .25 oz fresh lemon juice
- .25 oz hibiscus simple syrup
- 2 oz. Saison de Wench
- 3 drops rose tincture
- rose petal garnish
Instructions
Add gin, lemon and hibiscus to shaker. Shake with ice, strain into champagne flute. Top with beer and 3 drops of rose tincture. Garnish with a rose petal.
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Hibiscus Syrup
- 2 oz dried hibiscus flowers (in tea bag/ cheesecloth)
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
Bring water to a boil. Reduce temperature and steep hibiscus for 7 minutes. Remove tea bag, bring water back to a boil. Add sugar slowly, stirring vigorously. Bring temperature down. Simmer two minutes, remove from heat and chill completely.
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Rose Tincture
- 1 oz. dried rose petals (red or pink)
- 3/4 cup Everclear (or vodka)
Steep the rose petals in a tea bag in the Everclear for 3-4 weeks. Remove, squeezing out the liquid from the tea bag, and put into a dropper bottle.
Cheers,
Bison Organic Beer
