Running the cocktail program at North Scottsdale speakeasy Tell Your Friends, Ashley Cibor created this surprisingly complex cocktail as a “liquid love letter” to her favorite dessert, carrot cake, which she deftly reimagines in all its sweet, spicy, nutty and thoroughly decadent glory. It’s indulgent, no question, right down to the side-of-the-glass garnish of cream cheese frosting and crushed graham cracker, which begs to be licked. But the rye-based cocktail is also beautifully balanced, offering a sophisticated interplay of caramel, baking spice, toffee-like sherry, ginger-scented carrot and, yes, cheesy richness, which lingers on your tongue like a long hug. Cibor calls the result “layered, smooth and nostalgic,” adding, “it’s carrot cake without the sugar overload.” We’ll drink to that!
This luscious dessert… er, drink isn’t hard to put together but requires pre-planning and prep. To assemble, combine 1 ½ oz. goat-cheese-infused Sazerac Rye*, 1 ½ oz. spiced carrot syrup**, ½ oz. East India Sherry, ½ oz. fresh lemon juice and ¼ oz. Nux walnut liqueur in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake 7-10 seconds, then strain into a Collins glass swiped down one side with cream cheese and rolled in crushed graham cracker. Garnish with dehydrated lemon and a smoking cinnamon stick.
*Pour 750 ml bottle Sazerac Rye into an airtight container with 8 oz. crumbled goat cheese. Sous vide at 150 degrees F for one hour, cool in fridge overnight and finely strain through a coffee filter.
**Spiced carrot syrup: combine 1 cup fresh carrot juice, 1 cup cinnamon syrup*** and 3/4 tsp. ground ginger. Mix together until well combined.
***Cinnamon syrup: 1 ½ cups water, 1 ½ cups sugar, 10 cinnamon sticks crushed. Bring water and cinnamon sticks to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain cinnamon sticks and add sugar while the water is still hot. Mix until well dissolved.
Tell Your Friends
17797 N. Scottsdale Rd.
480-530-0045, tellyourfriendsaz.com
