Mike's Mix: The Beard's Tale

Every Friday, Mike Augustyniak picks up a new cocktail recipe from a local mixologist. Mike got one last recipe to share from the newest dining hotspot in south Minneapolis: the just-opened Heyday in the Lyn-Lake area.

The Beard's Tale
1 ½ oz black-pepper infused scotch
Skinny (just-less-than) ¾ oz IPA Syrup
½ oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Grain Belt Beer

Combine above ingredients in a highball glass, add ice, stir slightly and top with Grain Belt beer. Garnish with a lemon curl.

Black Pepper Scotch
1 L Dewars
3 Tbsp plus 7 individual peppercorns (ground)

Put the above ingredients in a large plastic container and infuse for approx. an hour and a half, tasting and agitating the liquid during that time. Strain off pepper grounds first through a fine-mesh strainer (chinois), then through a coffee filter and chinois in order to eliminate the finer grounds.

Beer Syrup
6 IPAs
6 c sugar
The peel of 3 lemons

Cook to syrup, remove peels.

Taste Test
You can find vodka infusions of almost any flavor in the liquor store these days, in part because vodka easily takes on other flavors. Infusions that utilize other liquors are less common, but one that shows up occasionally is black-pepper infused scotch. Bartender Britt Tracy says the smoky & spicy flavor of the pepper compliments the smoky flavor of your favorite blended scotch, but that the lemon juice and beer syrup tame the flavors.

The IPA syrup (which you also need to make ahead of time) brightens the drink up ... and, if I'm being honest ... beer syrup is one of my new favorite things to add to cocktails. This drink sips smoothly, in the same way a shandy pairs well with a hot summer day.

About Heyday
Heyday is located at 2700 Lyndale Ave. S. The restaurant serves dinner daily, starting at 5 p.m. For a sample menu and more information, click here. For Sara Pelissero's Q&A with co-owner Lorin Zinter, click here.

To find more recipes from Mike's Mix, click here.