I was running a work errand in Tribeca a couple weeks ago, a neighborhood that’s still unfamiliar enough to surprise me. I rounded a corner and was stopped in my tracks by, of all things, a ballfield. Not a stadium or anything noteworthy, just an astro-turf colored hole in the city. I couldn’t help but stop because it was truly stunning to be in the presence of that much open space in Lower Manhattan.
We spent the day in Fort Tryon Park on friday, which I’m drawn to for the same reason. It’s open-space porn: cliffs, rock ledges, and overlooks. A grid dweller can forget about up and down when her days are full of back and forth. It’s the place to go when you’ve got a hankering for trees.
I bought this Clear Creek Douglas Fir Eau De Vie for the same reason; I was wanting for trees. This is good brandy infused with spring Douglas fir buds. It’s fancy, but not pretentious because there’s forest involved. I was just sipping it straight until I got some cocktail inspiration from Bitters, by Brad Thomas Parsons
In the Trees Cocktail
Yield: 1 cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz Hendrick's Gin
- 3/4 oz Clear Creek Douglas Fir Eau De Vie
- 1/2 oz Rosemary Simple Syrup
- 3 dashes Grapefruit Juniper Bitters
Cooking Directions
- Combine everything in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake.
- Strain into a coupe glass and serve. Garnish with fresh rosemary if desired.
Notes:
- Oh, you’re not interested in splurging on some tree flavored booze? You could always make your own. I bet this recipe for spruce needle vodka over at Punk Domestics would be a fine stand-in.
- The New York Times diner’s blog also loves the Clear Creek eau de vie.
About autumn
Autumn Giles is the creator of Autumn Makes & Does and the co-host of the Alphabet Soup Podcast.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, I’ve never heard of such a thing as Douglas Fir eau de vie, fascinating! I’m imagining something bracing and crisp like amped up rosemary. Especially with juniper bitters. Very cool.
Sara, it’s definitely unique! When I heard about it I couldn’t help myself. I just had to try it 🙂
This sounds so tasty. I tried a grappa made from pinecones a few months ago and it was so surprisingly good. Where did you find your tree booze?
Yossy, Pinecone grappa sounds really interesting too! I got this at Astor Wine (not super long ago… maybe around thanksgiving last year?), so I bet you could still go there and snatch some up if you wanted.
Clear Creek are good people, and they love giving free tours on the weekend here in Portland, OR. For a slight twist, try it with Aviation Gin next time – some argue that the similar “terrior” of where the spirits are produced combine for an exponentially good pairing, but I think the slightly higher citrus notes are to thank. Good recipe! 🙂
Ooooh, yum! That looks so springy and green! I was just listening to Hank Shaw from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook on The Splendid Table yesterday talk about fir tips and I was totally intrigued. I’m so glad you paired it with gin– seems like those botanical flavors would mesh so well together. I can’t wait to find a bottle of this stuff… or perhaps infuse my own!