"At Least There's Still Sauce"- my Superbowl Inspired Sipper

My family has a tradition of getting together Superbowl weekend to enjoy food, drink, and shenanigans, and as most things over the last year, we had a virtual hang. My libation creation was a KC Barbecue-inspired tiki cocktail. This sweet, smoky, spicy, and tangy concoction is shaken up with aged rum, apple cider, sweet vermouth, tamarind concentrate, barrel-aged maple syrup, angostura bitters, and house-made smoked cinnamon and rum extracted chile tinctures. The ALTSS is then finished with a little oak-smoke and topped with a crispy strip of vegan bacon.

Although KC might have lost the big dance, "at least there's still sauce!"

#tiki #rumcocktails #smokedcocktails

At Least There's Still Sauce

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• 2.5 oz aged rum

• 0.5 oz sweet vermouth

• 2.5 oz apple cider

• Bar spoon barrel-aged maple syrup

• Bar spoon tamarind concentrate

• 4.5-5.5 ml smoked cinnamon tincture

• 4.5-5.5 ml rum extracted chile tincture

• 4 dashes Angostura Bitters

• Crispy slice of bacon, for garnish (I used a seitan-based option)

• Oak cubes (for smoking)

Instructions: add ingredients together and shake with ice. Strain into glass or a secondary vessel suitable for smoking. Gently smoke with a few oak cubes (in a well ventilated area), add the crisped bacon, and enjoy!

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Tinctures - I keep both of these in stock, as they can be used in a variety of cocktail applications.

Smoked Cinnamon:

• ~1 stick/ 100 ml vodka at 40% ABV

• Broken into a few pieces, gently dry-roast cinnamon in a pan on Medium heat for a few minutes, tossing occasionally for even color formation. The sticks should be at the cusp of being burnt. This will impart a slight smokiness to the tincture.

• Once cooled, add into the vodka. Allow to extract for 5-7 days before removing the sticks.

Chile Rum:

• 1 ancho/ 250 ml light rum at 40-45% ABV

• Steep for 7-10 days before removing the chile