The Walnut Grove

Ugh…I have been fighting a cold for the last week and I forgot how much I hate it. Is the capacity of the human nasal cavity endless? I’ve felt like I was drowning in my own snot for the past week.

Good thing we’re not eating anything in today’s post, eh? Would have spoiled your appetite in the first paragraph.

While I hate being sick, I think men must have it much worse…or at least they certainly make it seem that way. The man cold seems equivalent to the pain and suffering of childbirth. There’s just so much heavy sighing, moaning, groaning, whimpering, you’d think the grown man with a cold had a gangrenous limb, but no, just a stuffy nose.

I don’t have anyone to listen to me whine about my runny nose so I just embraced my illness on Saturday and spent the whole day channelling my inner Jabba the Hut. I was a disgusting, sweaty lump on my couch, watching Netflix, eating chicken shawarma and living in filth.

By Sunday morning, the NyQuil had worn off and I felt compelled to leave the house and avoid going completely stir crazy. I ran some errands, got groceries, picked up some coffee from Little Victories and sought out this lovely bouquet from Bloomfields to bring a little sunshine into my home.

I also managed to order some exciting new spirits from Dillon’s distillers. I saw the Beamsville-based distiller added a Black Walnut Amaro to their line-up and I absolutely needed to have it. I also picked up a bottle of their peach schnapps and strawberry gin while I was at it.

I’ve put my new black walnut amaro to good use in this cocktail – which I’ve named The Walnut Grove. Inspired by a mezcal negroni and my favourite addition to a charcuterie board, black walnuts in honey, this is a smoky, subtly sweet and flavourful tipple.

It’s not quite a negroni because it’s not equal parts spirits – I’ve used a sparing two bar spoons of sweet vermouth because I wanted to pull much of the sweetness from the honey syrup.

The black walnut amaro has a lovely earthy finish and spirit-forward nose. It compliments the smokiness of the mezcal perfectly and the strip of lemon brings a touch of brightness that adds levity to this cocktail.

Once I’m fully recovered from my cold, I plan to enjoy one or two of these and welcome spring (and health) with open arms.

Cheers!

The Walnut Grove

5 from 1 vote

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The Walnut Grove

Prep Time

3 mins

Total Time

3 mins

 

The Walnut Grove Cocktail is made with Dillon's black walnut amaro, mezcal, sweet vermouth, honey syrup and lemon.

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Canadian

Keyword: Black Walnut Amaro, Honey, Lemon, Mezcal, Sweet Vermouth, The Walnut Grove

Servings: 1 cocktail

Author: Yvonne Langen

Ingredients

• 1 oz Dillon’s Black Walnut Amaro
• 1 oz Creyente mezcal
• 2 barspoons sweet vermouth
• ½ oz honey syrup, recipe follows
• 1 strip lemon peel

Honey Syrup

• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup boiling water

Instructions

1. Combine Dillon’s black walnut amaro, Creyente mezcal, sweet vermouth and honey syrup in a mixing glass. Fill with ice and stir with bar spoon for 30 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with one large ice cube. Squeeze strip of lemon peel to extract citrus juices into the glass, run the peel along the inside rim of the glass and drop into drink for garnish. 

Honey Syrup

1. For honey syrup, combine boiling water and honey in a heatproof jar, stir until combined. Cool to room temperature and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.