Cocktail : Silence Is Golden

This drink is inspired by the Death & Co. drink Waterloo Sunset by Joaquín Simó, named for a 1967 hit by the Kinks. The star of the drink is gin infused with the tongue-numbing flavor of Szechuan peppercorns, a Chinese ingredient best known for its role in Kung Pao Chicken. Simó combined it with additional non-infused gin, mint muddled in simple syrup, Dolin blanc, watermelon juice and lime and served it on the rocks with a mint sprig. It sounds like a delicious combination, but unfortunately, I had no watermelon on hand when I was looking for something tasty to make recently.

So, I refashioned the drink without the watermelon, turning it into an "up" style drink with ginger liqueur instead of cane syrup. Ginger, after all, is common to Chinese cuisine, so I thought it would be a good partner with the Szechuan peppercorn-infused gin, and ginger and mint play nicely together too. A couple dashes of grapefruit bitters add just a touch an extra touch of citrusy bitterness, compensating for the lack of lime juice which is only partially made up for by the lime twist garnish.

As for the title, "Silence Is Golden" by The Tremeloes was the #1 hit in Britain the week that "Waterloo Sunset" peaked at #2.

Silence Is Golden
Inspired by Waterloo Sunset by Joaquín Simó, Death & Co.

7 mint leaves
1/2 oz. Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
2 oz. Szechuan Peppercorn-infused Beefeater gin (*see below)
1/2 oz. Dolin blanc vermouth
2 dashes grapefruit bitters
Lime twist garnish

1. Add the mint leaves and ginger liqueur to a cocktail shaker and muddle.

2. Add the gin, vermouth and grapefruit bitters. Fill the shaker with ice and shake until very cold. Strain into a chilled coupe (double-strain with a fine-mesh sieve if little mint particles bug you). Rub the lime twist around the edge of the glass, give it a squeeze over the drink with the peel-side down, twist and drop into the drink.

*To infuse the gin: combine 1 tbsp. Szechuan peppercorns with 4 oz. of gin (enough to make two drinks) in a small bowl (a 1-cup glass measuring cup works well). Allow to sit for 35 minutes then strain the gin with a fine-mesh sieve.

Related

Death & Co. (The Book)

Death & Co. (The Bar)