There’s nothing quite like spending an autumn night around a crackling campfire, the air crisp and filled with the scent of burning wood and the taste of shared treats. This inspired me to create a cocktail that encapsulates this quintessential fall experience — the Autumn Ember. This complex concoction, designed for special occasions, takes you on a sensory journey back to the campground, complete with the smoky aroma of a fire and the rich flavors of a fall evening.
The recipe is intricate, calling for a raw egg white shaken into a luxurious foam and a procedure known as an Angostura flamethrower, where you create a mist of flaming Angostura bitters. It’s a drink to prepare table side, like bananas foster or a fresh Cesar dressing.
The Autumn Ember is a journey in a glass, evoking the memory of a cold night at a campground, the kids safely tucked into bed, with the firewood sizzling and crackling. Treats are passed around the warm fire and someone brings out a drink for the group — the Autumn Ember is that drink. Enjoy the taste of autumn, encapsulated.
The Autumn Ember
Ingredients
- 2 oz Mezcal
- 1 oz Cognac Hennessy Privilege
- 1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 0.5 oz Orgeat
- 0.5 oz Dry Curaçao
- 1 Egg White
- Demerara Sugar to garnish
- Angostura Bitters To flame and garnish
Instructions
- Add all ingredients (except for the garnishes) to a shaker and shake vigorously without ice for 30 seconds (known as a dry shake, specifically for raw egg drinks).
- Add one large ice cube and one large ice cube broken into small pieces (the best ice ratio for shaken drinks according to some famous bartenders). Shake again vigorously for 60 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled coup glass. Sprinkle Demerara sugar on the foam (from the egg).
- The next step is called the Angostura Flamethrower. Prepare yourself.
- Fill a Misto (or a similar pump-up oil sprayer) with Angostura bitters. Pump it up.
- Hold a kitchen torch between you and the glass, lit. Spray the bitters at the torch onto the glass; this is literally going to spray fire, so be prepared.
- Garnish with three dashes of Angostura bitters on top of the caramelized foam.
