If traveling’s still not on your radar, Albuquerque’s Hotel Parq Central’s rooftop bar, Apothecary Lounge, has shared some recipes that may help you reset, wherever you happen to be right now. These boozy, herby berry-forward cocktails are just what the doctor ordered to get you through these next months until we can all toast each other in person, in real life, socially undistanced and not through the screen. If we’re lucky, we’ll be sitting at a table at the Apothecary, watching the sun set over the Sandias.
Wellness Shot
“My fiancée and I really like going to juice bars and our absolute favorite is turmeric. One day we were talking and decided that I should turn it into a cocktail that’s good and good for you. I made a ginger turmeric honey using fresh roots and local honey. The health benefits of those three ingredients are amazing. They can help with pain, inflammation, swelling, and nausea, and [provide] antioxidants. Combine that with a premium vodka can also help with blood flow and circulation and you have yourself a healthy buzz.” — Jake Larragoite, food and beverage manager at Hotel Parq Central
Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
1½ ounces Tito’s vodka
¾ ounce ginger turmeric honey (below)
¾ ounce lemon juice
Cayenne for garnish
Ginger Turmeric Honey
8 ounces local honey
4 ounces fresh ginger root
4 ounces fresh turmeric root
8 ounces hot water
Instructions
Combine the honey, ginger root, turmeric root, and hot water in a blender. Blend well until completely smooth.
Combine the vodka, turmeric honey, and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass with cayenne rim.
Emerald City
“I love absinthe, so I really wanted to create a cocktail that could showcase just how herbaceous and delicious it is. So many people are unfamiliar with it or have only seen it served in the traditional way. This cocktail is beautiful, refreshing, and really opens your eyes to the world of absinthe. I garnish it with a strip of cucumber and fresh mint sprig, which really add to those fresh green garden notes.”
— Jake Larragoite
Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
1 ounce Grune Fee absinthe
½ ounce limoncello
½ ounce lime juice
½ ounce honey
Splash of soda
Cucumber and mint, for garnish
Instructions
Combine absinthe, limoncello, lime juice, and honey into a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a Collins glass. Top with splash of soda, a slice of cucumber, and mint.
Bramble
“The Bramble is a contemporary classic that I really enjoy. It’s really a gin sour with blackberry. I use a Brazilian gin that is made with calamansi and acai, which really complement the lemon and blackberry.”
— Jake Larragoite
Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
1½ ounces McQueen and the Violet Fog gin
1 ounce lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup
½ ounce Giffard Crème de Mure
Fresh blackberries and mint for garnish
Instructions
Combine all except Crème de Mure into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a large rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Drizzle Crème de Mure over the top of the crushed ice. Garnish with a fresh blackberry and mint sprig.
