Take Me to Church

Take Me to Church is an old fashioned reimagined by the Whippoorwill Lounge at Blackberry Mountain. It takes a few unique ingredients to accomplish the flavor, but the result is a delicious and approachable sip. If you’re up for trying something new, follow this recipe to create this smoked drink at home!

Ingredients:
2-inch ice cube
¼ oz. Salt & Pepper Demerara Syrup*
2 oz. Wagyu Fat Washed Elijah Craigh Barrel Proof*
Dash of orange bitters
Dash of bogart bitters
Rosemary sprig

Tools:
Foghat smoker with whiskey barrel oak chips
Butane torch

To make:
Start with a large 2-inch ice cube in a rocks glass, and build the rest of the cocktail on top of this cube. Add ¼ oz. Salt & Pepper Demerara Syrup, followed by a 2-oz. pour of Wagyu Fat Washed Elijah Craigh Barrel Proof. Next, add a dash of both orange and bogart bitters, and stir the cocktail with a barspoon until properly diluted (about 40 revolutions).

Now, the cocktail is ready to be smoked using a Foghat smoker filled with whiskey barrel oak chips and a butane torch. Place the Foghat on top of the rocks glass, and make sure there is a tight seal so that the smoke does not leak out. Fill the smoker with oak chips and begin smoking. Ignite all the chips with a butane torch, and once the ember dies, place the lid back on the smoker. Let the smoke sit in the glass.

Take a sprig of rosemary and lightly toast it with the torch to release the natural oils and aroma. Remove the smoker and place the rosemary sprig in the cocktail. Sip and enjoy!

*To make the Salt & Pepper Demerara Syrup:
This savory and complex syrup is made from toasted black peppercorn, salt and demerara sugar from Mauritius. First, lightly toast a half cup of whole black peppercorns in a pan over medium heat until they become fragrant (roughly two minutes). Crush the peppercorns using a mortar and pestle once they have cooled slightly. Add the crushed peppercorn to a cup of boiling water in a pot on the stovetop and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the solution through a coffee filter to remove all the peppercorn from the water.

Next, add a cup of demerara sugar to a pot along with a few pinches of table salt and the pepper-infused water. Simmer this mixture for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring consistently until all the sugar is dissolved. Lastly, let the syrup cool and bottle it up. This will keep up to two weeks.

*To make the Wagyu Fat Washed Elijah Craig:
This savory bourbon has a silky mouth feel and rich character. Start by pouring a bottle of Elijah Craigh Barrel Proof bourbon into a container - preferably one more tall than it is wide. On the stovetop, heat a frozen cup of wagyu beef tallow in a pot until it liquifies completely. Take the warm liquid beef tallow and slowly pour it into the bourbon container. Whisk this mixture aggressively for up to three minutes.

Set the mixture aside and let it sit for 30 minutes. A clear separation should become apparent. At this point, cover the bourbon and fat mixture and place it in the freezer. Freeze the mixture for at least six hours (it’s okay if it remains frozen overnight). Afterwards, remove from the freezer and remove the lid. There will be a layer of frozen fat on top of the bourbon you can remove with a fork or gloved hands. Slowly strain the rest of the bourbon through a coffee filter and transfer it back into the old Elijah Craigh Barrel Proof bottle. Keep refrigerated and enjoy!