Have you ever noticed that a party that lasts only one evening can take weeks of preparation? Between the invitations, menu, shopping, and cleaning, you’re exhausted-and that’s all before the big night. Even though you’ve earned the right to relax and enjoy the party, those cocktails aren’t going to make themselves, and keeping glasses full can be a full-time job. But I’m going to let you in on a secret ingredient that provides the flavor without the fuss-a true cocktail game-changer. Meet Make & Muddle Syrups Make & Muddle’s line of cocktail elixirs will save you from buying expensive one-use bottles. The first time I tried the Make & Muddle Brandy Manhattan, I knew I had stumbled upon something special. After spending about 30 seconds mixing brandy, vermouth, and the brand’s Spiced Cherry Vanilla syrup, I took my first sip and could have sworn I was drinking a multi-ingredient, $20 cocktail created by a mixologist with time on their hands. That’s exactly the reaction Jennifer Brian, co-founder and owner of the Louisville-based Make & Muddle, aims for. Her concoctions begin with seasonal and local fruits, herbs, and trees like persimmons, mint, and-get ready-shagbark hickory, and the natural flavors mean no more cloyingly sweet cocktails. It also means easy entertaining, especially since the syrups are meant to work with every base liquor, whether brown or white. Make & Muddle’s flagship 7 Syrup, originally created for a pumpkin spice cocktail, sets the bar high. “It was fantastic,” says Brian, “but we didn’t want a one-trick pony. If you’re going to buy a liquor or mixer, it should be used in multiple ways and offer value for the dollar.” You’ll enjoy putting 7 Syrup to the test. Its versatility seems to know no bounds, which is probably why it is featured in 10 recipes in Brian’s cocktail cookbook, Classic Cocktail Revival. From a classic old fashioned to a bourbon slush, brandy toddy, sangria, or mulled wine, it’s a switch-hitting phenom that makes bartending a breeze. Unique, Local Ingredients Knowing the syrups are made right here in the South is the garnish on the cocktail. Some ingredients, like mint, are grown in Brian’s Kentucky backyard, and others come from nearby farms, keeping Southern heritage and history alive, a beautiful little perk of buying local. The newest and arguably coolest of all the syrups-and the one Brian says is the best she’s every produced-is Black Forest Smoked Persimmon, bottled for the first time this month. Made from persimmons and shagbark hickory, both native to Kentucky, it introduces flavors rarely found in cocktail syrups. Yes, one ingredient is indeed tree bark. When Brian heard that a local farmer was gathering fallen hickory bark, cleaning it, steeping it, and turning it into syrup, the idea of Black Forest was born. The result? Imagine the best gingerbread you’ve ever tasted, with notes of baking spice, hickory, smoke, molasses, and brown sugar. “The first time people try it, they go from, ‘Oh, that’s interesting’ to a delighted, “What is happening in my mouth right now?’” Brian says. Try The Whole Line Make & Muddle’s other syrups include a Blueberry-Lavender Shrub and an Orange Ginger Cranberry Shrub that makes an eye-catching, bright red holiday margarita-both can be mixed with any spirit or stirred into club soda or tonic for a bubbly, zero-proof drink. And Brian says they batch particularly well, making them perfect for signature cocktails that serve a crowd. Whether you’re planning an intimate dinner party or a houseful of revelers, streamlining your bartending process is a priceless timesaver. Southern and seasonal ingredients make these syrups even more attractive-a way to turn Southern heritage into Southern hospitality. Recipes Black Forest Old Fashioned 1 750-ml bottle of Kentucky Straight Bourbon 6 oz of Make & Muddle Black Forest Smoked Persimmon Syrup 5 oz water 20 or so shakes of orange bitters Combine all ingredients in a quart size, swing arm bottle or other pitcher of choice. Chill and serve on the rocks. Garnish with orange peel and good cherries (Please, for all that is good and right in the world, NO neon red maraschino cherries). I recommend Amarena cherries in syrup. They can be found online or at your favorite well-stocked liquor store. Yield: 12 cocktails. Single Cocktail Recipe: 2 oz bourbon 0. 5-. 75 oz Make & Muddle Black Forest Smoked Persimmon Syrup Dash of orange bitters.
https://www.southernliving.com/cocktail-syrups-make-and-muddle-louisville-11856799