Garden and Grove

It’s finally the season for bright and layered cocktails that highlight sweet, sour, and bitter. I have always been drawn to cocktails that pop with citrus and make for a bitter finish. Since becoming a mixologist at Blackberry Farm, I have had the opportunity to see cocktail trends come and go. From the sweet lemon drop martinis, the stiff manhattans, and the sours, it’s time for the bitter drinks to take lead, and honestly, I’m glad. The Garden and Grove was an inspiration I had that mixed techniques of classic southern cocktails and blending them with bitter components. It incorporates Campari, giving way for the bitter touch, and is underlined by nuances of absinthe, muddled orange, sage, Jack Rudy Tonic, and a raw cut sugar cube to round off the flavors. But how is this southern? Absinthe, Orange, and the sugar cube brings it all together combining the main elements found in a Sazerac, an Old Fashioned, and chilled and served neatly just like a perfect Manhattan. It’s a great way to start the evening as an aperitif. Trust me, and join in on the rediscovered bitter cocktail.

Garden and Grove

• Absinthe rinsed ice and mixing tin
  
• Fresh orange slice
  
• 1 ½ ounces of Campari
  
• 2 dashes of Fee Bros. Orange Bitters
  
• 2 dashes of The Bitter Truth Xocolatl Mole Bitters
  
• 3 sage leaves
  
• 1 lemon wedge freshly squeezed
  
• ¼ ounce of Jack Rudy Tonic Syrup
  
• Orange peel
  

In a mixing tin with ice, put in a dash of Absinthe and shake briefly. Strain out the Absinthe and add everything except the orange peel. Shake until cold and then fine strain into a whiskey stem glass. Rim the glass with an orange peel, and drop it into the cocktail.

Logan Griffin
Mixologist / Sommelier