Original Cocktail: Orchard of Alcinous

Naming cocktails was always the hardest part of maintaining a cocktail menu. But that's why we have the internet, right? To look up obscure literary references and sound totally clever. So if you're wondering, the name refers to a place in the Odyssey, an orchard where apple, pear, and pomegranates were grown. Aren't you glad you asked?

-Orchard of Alcinous-

1.5 oz Offley white port
.75 oz Pür pear liqueur
.5 oz St George Terroir gin*
.5 oz lemon juice
1 oz Clos Normand apple cider**

Shake all ingredients together, double strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with a small piece of rosemary. 


*St George Terroir gin is made in my neck of the woods over in Alameda, and it's a fine specimen. What sets it apart from the rest is that it's crafted with Douglas fir, so you have a big blast of pine and bay leaf right in your face. That's also why I use such a small amount in the cocktail. A little goes a long way.

**This is a French apple cider that's low alcohol and quite refreshing on its own. The kind of thing they might serve by the carafe at a creperie in France. I like this particular one because it's balanced and is also a fantastic value.