{photo credit: sac-a-lait}

At Sac-a-Lait, the award-winning New Orleans restaurant from Chefs Cody and Samantha Carroll, Beverage Director Norton Christopher focuses on fresh seasonal cocktails utilizing the produce and herbs grown in the restaurant’s on-site garden which is overseen by Brooks Mitchell.

Straight from the vine to the glass, unique ingredients are planted from around the world and include lovage, Aztec sweet herb, safflower, wormwood, Vietnamese coriander, lemon verbena, Malabar spinach, fish mint, Baltic rue; Nasturtium and much more.

This holiday season, Christopher is offering up several festive cocktails including Thyme is on My Side featuring thyme-infused Bristow Gin and Rittenhouse Rye with egg whites, house made thyme syrup and a charred lemon-thyme wheel.

Thyme is on My Side

Yields: 1 cocktail

1 oz of thyme-infused Bristow gin
1 oz of thyme-infused Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz of thyme syrup
3/4 oz lemon 
1 egg white
Kummel spritz
Charred lemon thyme candy wheel

Combine first 5 ingredients, shake and double strain into a chilled couple. 2 sprays of Kummel on top of the cocktail. Garnish with thyme sprigs and charred lemon-thyme wheel.

Lemon-thyme candy wheel
Cut a lemon in half. Dip the exposed side on a plate of sugar. Brulee the sugar while on the lemon half. Drop some thyme leaves on the bruleed lemon half while still hot and pliable. Let cool for a couple of minutes, then gently cut and pull of the lemon -thyme wheel with the blade of a knife.

Thyme syrup
30 grams of thyme
400 grams of sugar
400 grams of boiling water

Muddle the thyme in a sealable container. Pour in the boiling water and sugar. Stir to dissolve and let infuse for 24 hours. Strain off thyme leaves.

Thyme infused spirits
30 grams of thyme
1 liter of spirit

Muddle the thyme in a sealable container. Pour the spirit in and let infuse for 24 hours. Strain off thyme leaves.

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Keep the red beans cookin’!

Eric