🍸 Behind the R&D: A Vodka Cocktail, a Few Pivots & the Final Barspoon
Last night’s main objective was to finish a vodka cocktail for work. I knew I wanted cranberry at the forefront, with fresh lemon, some depth and enough brightness to keep it refreshing. That was the direction I was working toward.
🍸 Finding the direction
I bought a bunch of teas at Sprouts because tea is such a useful way to bring depth and complexity into a cocktail. There’s a whole range of flavors to work with, and depending on the tea, you can also get that dry, tannic structure that gives a drink a little grip. It gives me another direction to explore without automatically reaching for another liqueur.
For this cocktail, I leaned into rooibos with cranberry. Rooibos is naturally low in tannins, so I wasn’t using it for the stronger drying character you might look for in black tea. I wanted its softer, rounded, gently earthy character underneath the bright tartness of the cranberry. That combination became the rich cranberry rooibos cordial, the main flavor running through the drink.
Fresh lemon helped keep that direction bright, and a little honey rounded out the edges. I wanted the cranberry to stay up front, with the tea adding another layer underneath it. Getting that balance right was one part of the work. Keeping it punchy once the soda went in was another.
I was stuck on having an Italian influence for this cocktail. After working through different combinations, I finally decided to ditch both the limoncello and Aperol. Bénédictine was the move. It brought the honeyed, herbal depth I’d been looking for while keeping the cocktail bright and refreshing.
Going back to dry curaçao helped me find my footing. I wanted that familiar, approachable Cosmo vibe, with the cranberry rooibos cordial and fresh lemon leading the way. A little extra honey, bitters and saline helped round it out. I also tried Fernet, which was interesting, but I knew that direction wouldn’t be for everyone.
🌿 Finding the herbal depth
There were plenty of pivots before I landed on Bénédictine. That was a great one. It brought the honeyed, herbal depth I’d been looking for without losing the bright, refreshing direction. The drink still had those Cosmo vibes, just with more going on underneath.
The final touch was just a barspoon of pomegranate molasses. I know I overthink things, and I kept feeling like the cocktail needed something else. This time, it was good overthinking. The molasses was rich and thick, and it brought back exactly what I was missing with the soda: body and that tart punch. It didn’t need to take over the cranberry. It needed to help the whole drink hold together.
For the highball version, I finished it with a splash of soda, a torched rosemary sprig and dehydrated lemon. Bright, refreshing, herbal and super crushable. I was really stoked to get there, especially after working through so many directions.
🍹 Making the prep work for service
Once the flavor was there, I wanted the service to be straightforward. Sometimes I separate a batch into spirits and citrus. With limited space this time, I put the cocktail ingredients together in one cheater bottle, including the bitters and saline. For the highball, it’s a pour over fresh ice, a splash of soda and the garnish. Less reaching for bottles, more time with the people in front of me.
🍍 A pineapple side mission
I also worked on the caramelized pineapple syrup for my Elijah Craig Old Fashioned competition cocktail. The juice already had plenty of sweetness, so I adjusted the sugar by taste instead of automatically treating it like my earlier rich syrup.
After warming the syrup, I blended in gum arabic and let it rest. I’m looking for a silkier mouthfeel, something that supports those warm, caramelized flavors without turning the drink into a dessert. It was a different project from the highball, but texture was on my mind for both.
⚡ The new tool I’m already loving
My new SHEANLAH immersion blender got a proper workout with the cranberry rooibos cordial and the pineapple syrup. It’s the 1000W HB2075 model, and yes, the turbo button made me very happy. I bought it on Amazon, and it’s already earning its place in my prep setup.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
🧼 And then, the cleanup
The last part was the stuff nobody gets excited to film: putting things away, clearing out what needed to go, and getting the space back in order. We have a wonderful R&D space, and it can get trashed quickly when I’m in the middle of testing. Taking care of it is part of the work.
I stayed later than I meant to, but I got the vodka cocktail where I wanted it and moved my Old Fashioned prep forward. A few pivots, a good bit of overthinking, and a barspoon that made the difference.
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