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Brooklyn Special: A Whiskey Highball

Brooklyn Special coffee whiskey highball

A nostalgic and boozy nod to an Italian deli staple.

Beverage director Rob Crowe of Brooklyn’s Bar Madonna created this whiskey highball as a nostalgic nod to Italian deli staple, the Manhattan Special. Coffee and cola notes are rounded out with cherry, while the addition of Fernet Branca makes it the perfect way to end a meal.

Ingredients

  • 2 oz. coffee-infused whiskey blend
  • 1/2 oz. Fernet-Branca
  • 1/2 oz. fermented cherry syrup
  • 4 dashes saline solution
  • soda water
  • Tools:barspoon
  • Glass:Collins
  • Garnish:maraschino cherry

Preparation

Add all of the ingredients, except the soda water, to a chilled Collins glass, then fill with ice. Top with soda water. Give a stir, then garnish.

Coffee-Infused Whiskey BlendAdd 5 oz. of bourbon, 5 oz. of rye, and 2 oz. of whole coffee beans (preferably South American) to a sealable container and allow it to sit for 24 hours. Strain out the coffee beans. Will keep indefinitely.

Fermented Cherry SyrupAdd 100g of pitted cherries (roughly chopped), 2 1/2g of honey or agave syrup, 3g of kosher salt to a jar. Seal tightly and allow it to sit for 2 days. Weigh the cherry mixture and combine an equal weight of sugar and half the weight in water. Add the mixture to a saucepan and heat until it starts to simmer. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool, then strain into a sealable container. Will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Saline SolutionCombine 100g of water with 20g of salt and mix until all the salt is dissolved.

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