Winter festivities are decadent endeavors – but round after round of rib-sticking food and extra rich eggnog tends to get tiring, so every now and then we like to reach for a lighter libation.
Enter a fresh-tasting take on cold weather drinks: the Shadow of a Doubt. “It’s a good dry, spicy cocktail for winter,” says Henry Prendergast, co-owner and main bar man at Chicago hot spot Analogue, which has a colorful menu of cocktails with names like “Once Bitten” and “Various Positions.”
In the sea of heavy holiday season meals, Shadow of a Doubt is strong, simple, and refreshing, blending the bright botanicals of gin (Pendergast uses Leatherbee, a boldly flavored local one) with the subtler spice of pear-infused Dolin Blanc for a dry, crisp finish. It's a welcome relief from the spice-heavy recipes that the winter season is flooded with, and works equally well in the warmer months, too – the brisk, refreshing lightness is great on a balmy day.
Also, note that you can tweak the recipe by using whatever kind of bitters you'd prefer. The recipe calls for Peychaud, a classic, but if you want to add a dash of uniquely flavored ones instead, go for it.
If you like gin you’ll love this bad boy – beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Ingredients
1.5 oz gin
1 oz pear-infused Dolin Blanc
.25 oz St. Germaine
1 dash Peychaud bitters
Preparation
Combine gin, Dolin Blanc and St. Germaine into a mixing glass and stir.
Strain over ice.
Add bitters.
