Mike's Mix: Lyn65 Brunch Cocktails
Every week on Saturday, Mike Augustyniak goes in search of a new cocktail idea from a local mixologist. Today, he's heading back to Lyn65 in Richfield to kick off a series of brunch coctails.
Southside
Ingredients
2 oz. Tattersall gin
½ oz. rich simple syrup {2:1 sugar to water}
½ oz. Dimmi liqueur {available at South Lyndale Liquor}
¾ oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
Mint leaves
Directions
Start by gently muddling about 12 mint leaves in shaker tin. Add the other ingredients. Shake and double strain into a coupe glass. Add 6 to 10 drops {about half of an eyedropper} of basil oil* which will float on top of cocktail. Or, alternately, garnish with a basil leaf instead.
* To make basil oil:
Bring water to a boil, fill a pasta strainer with basil and submerge for 15 seconds to blanch basil. Remove basil from water and quickly submerge into a bath of ice and water to shock the basil. Remove from ice bath and ring out basil like a wet towel. Place basil into a blender with 1 or 2 very small cubes of ice and blend slowly adding a neutral oil. I prefer grape seed oil. Strain through chinois/fine mesh strainer.
Taste Test
Before this recipe, I hadn't heard of the Italian grappa called Dimmi. It's an easy-sipping liqueur that could be served straight up and cold (like lemoncello), and is infused with the flavors of rhubarb, orange peel, apricot blossom, and peach. Combined with the fresh lime juice, it adds a mild, sweet, and fruity essence to the Southside that makes it a perfect pairing with the savory and mild flavors of brunch.
Ruby Rosalita
Ingredients
1 oz. moderately-priced joven mezcal
1 oz. Cocchi Americano vermouth
½ oz. Campari
½ oz. Cappalletti
¾ oz. fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
¼ oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
10 drops of saltwater solution (about half of an eyedropper)
Directions
Shake and double strain into a coupe glass. Take one grapefruit peel and squeeze, expressing oils over glass.
Taste Test
Think of this cocktail as a mezcal-based Negroni. Mezcal is tequila's smokier and more complex cousin; made by distilling the charred leaves of the maguey plant (itself a cousin of the blue agave plant, from which tequila is made). One part mezcal meets one part high-quality vermouth (for a little sweetness), and one part bitter liqueur (Campari and Cappalletti combined). A few drops of saltwater solution act to balance out the bitterness from the liqueurs and the citrus juices. The result is something like the classic Negroni, but with rounded edges, a lighter flavor, and a citrusy finish.
About Lyn65
Brunch at Lyn65 is served on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (except on Super Bowl Sunday).
