horse tonic

1 1/2 oz Dark Rum, preferably Gosling's Black Seal
1/2 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/4 oz Velvet Falernum
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with. Strain into a Fizz glass containing 1 oz of soda water. Garnish with a pinch of espresso (mortar and pestle ground dark roast coffee beans) and an orange twist.

Two Saturdays ago, I was flipping through the new Food & Wine: Cocktails 2011 book and spotted the curious sounding Horse Tonic. The drink was created by Richard Boccato who bartends at Dutch Kills, Painkiller, and Weather Up TriBeCa in Manhattan. Richard designed the drink with mid- to late-19th century Bracers, like the Saratoga Brace Up, in mind. Braces became popular with the advent of sparkling water and were well utilized in the morning as hangover palliatives.
The Horse Tonic's garnishes provided a dark roast coffee and orange oil aroma. On the sip, the pair of dark rums offered a caramel flavor that worked surprisingly well with the lemon juice. Next, the black strap molasses appeared on a swallow spiced by clove and ginger notes. Furthermore, the coffee garnish began to enter the flavor profile over time and complemented the dark rums. Of all the flavor combinations, it was the fresh ginger syrup pairing with the sharp carbonation that was most enjoyable for me.