Glassware: Collins Glass
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Laird’s Apple Brandy
.75 oz. Raspberry Syrup
.75 oz. Lemon Juice
2 Dashes Cherry Bitters
2 oz. Club Soda
Garnish: Lemon Twist
Directions: Combine ingredients, except for club soda, into a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain over fresh ice into a Collins glass. Add club soda while using a bar spoon to mix and integrate ingredients. Garnish, serve and enjoy.
Syrup: Reduce 1.5 cups of simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) with 1 cup of raspberries. Reduce on medium heat for 20 minutes (or longer until desired taste) and strain into a glass jar or bottle – keep refrigerated.
No study on architecture and design would be complete without the mention of columns. In parallel, no study on cocktails would be complete without the mention of the Collins-style cocktail, a true “pillar” of the cocktail world. At its purest, the Collins cocktail family is one that consists of spirits, sugar, citrus, and carbonated water. Served in a tall glass, this basic idea of spirits and lemonade has been popular for generations. Like the design of ancient columns, the Collins style of cocktails is one that has evolved over and over through the years, sometimes through simple elevated forms and sometimes through ornate garnishes and exotic ingredients.
To make this drink, make sure to use fresh sugar, fruit and citrus to make it the cleanest and of the highest quality. Laird’s Apple Brandy is the best in quality on the market. The apple flavor is a great starting point for the other flavors to build off. Fresh fruit is abundant through the raspberry syrup and cherry bitters, all layered for springtime and a refreshing afternoon. The citrus helps to create balance, and the carbonation highlights the rich fruit-forward tones of the drink. To garnish, a long and exotic lemon twist showcases the elegance of this beverage’s design. Exotic and whimsical, this is a Collins drink inspired by the Corinthian Column of old.
