I stalled for a week or so before properly looking through my pictures from Vermont. I think I wanted to wait until the last bits of the trip were tucked away—after the blueberries were in jars, pies, and freezer bags and our sweatshirts were back in the closet for another month or so. How strange that the economics of memory lead us to let something go almost entirely, just so that we might care enough to do the work of bringing it back. So, I’m here with photos and a funny cocktail recipe that highlights some awesome small-batch spirits that are coming out of Vermont right now.
In the Northeast Kingdom, I was smitten with the church turned health food store, the farm nearby where we got bacon and eggs, Brown’s Beautiful Blueberries, and—perhaps most enamored of all—with these folks who are making gin out of raw honey. It’s earthy, junipery, not terribly complex, but unlike any gin I’ve ever tasted and a bit of a challenge to mix for this reason. For this thoroughly unexpected spirit, I went weird and created a variation on an Alexander. You’re allowed to be a little scared by creamy drinks, but please don’t write them off. Done well, they’re delicious.
Maple Alexander Cocktail
Yield: makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 oz Barr Hill Gin
- 1 oz Green Mountain Organic Maple Liqueur
- 1 oz Goat’s Milk
- a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg for garnish
- ice
Cooking Directions
- Pour the gin, maple liqueur, and goat’s milk into a cocktail shaker and add 3-4 ice cubes.
- Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds.
- Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
About autumn
Autumn Giles is the creator of Autumn Makes & Does and the co-host of the Alphabet Soup Podcast.
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Gin out of raw honey???? I have honeybees, you know 🙂
Looks like it was a wonderful trip, and I MUST try this cocktail.
Loved meeting you last month and hope to see you again soon.
Ha! Winnie it was so nice to meet you as well. It was fascinating to hear the amount of honey that they put into this gin and vodka. I don’t exactly remember, but it was a totally unbelievable amount.
This makes me wish I lived somewhere with U-pick blueberries, for sure! That cocktail looks amazing too–goat’s milk? maple liqueur? I’ve never seen anything like it!
It sounds like you had an amazing trip to Vermont! Now I’m itching to go home to New England and go berry picking with my mama 🙂 I had goat’s milk for the first time this year and never thought to put it in a cocktail. Once I’m finally ready to let summer go, I will certainly try this cocktail. Glad you enjoyed your time in VT!
Kelly, Thanks so much, lady! I weirded even myself out at first with the idea of putting goat’s milk in a cocktail, but I was pleasantly surprised with how delicious this is!
This cocktail looks and sounds outstanding! My favorite part is the touch of nutmeg. Will be giving it a try very soon.
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