Briar Patch Cocktail
Mix together in a shaker or glass:
- 3 parts Bourbon or rye (I like Bulleit Rye)
- 1 part Chile Blackberry Syrup (see recipe below)
- 1 squeeze of lemon juice
Pour over ice in a highball or iced tea glass. Add club soda or seltzer to taste (The recipe tells you to use an 8 oz. glass and fill with club soda - I thought that was a little too fizzy.).
Chile Blackberry Syrup
- 4 dried Guajillo peppers* (1 oz)
- 1 cup / 6 oz / 170g dark Muscovado sugar (can substitute dark brown sugar)
- 1 cup / 7 oz / 200 g organic sugar
- 1-1/2 cups / 355 ml water
- 1/4 cups fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cups / 3.5 oz blackberries
*You can use Pasilla chiles if you can't find Guajillo peppers. I love this syrup on buckwheat pancakes, grilled salmon, buttermilk panna cotta and in a glass with ice and sparkling water. It is worth the effort to hunt down Muscovado sugar for this. I think palm sugar also tastes good or Mexican piloncillo. The syrup keeps covered and chilled for a few weeks.
Trim the stems from the dried chiles. Tear chiles into pieces and drop (along with seeds) into a medium saucepan. Stir in the sugars, water and lemon juice, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Boil, stirring regularly, until the mixture has reduced to 2 cups / 475 ml, roughly 20 - 30 minutes.
In the meantime, puree the blackberries. I used a hand blender in a small bowl, but a standard blender is also an option. Force the berries through a fine-mesh strainer, and discard any seeds. Set the berry puree aside.
Once the chile mixture has reduced, remove from heat and (carefully) puree it with a hand blender until smooth. Strain through a sieve into a heat-proof bowl. Press on the remaining solids in the strainer to squeeze out any syrup, and discard the remaining solids.
Whisk the berries into the chile syrup and set aside to cool. Place in a jar, or smaller jars, and refrigerate.
Makes about 2-1/2 cups.
Prep time: 10 min - Cook time: 30 min
- from Sara N. (Character Fabricator)
Adapted from a recipe in the September 2007 issue of Gourmet Magazine.