How to make the Nectar Confit, a cocktail from a two-Michelin star NYC restaurant

Now is maybe the best time of the year for a good Old Fashioned recipe. Eventually, though, it’s time to change things up. That’s where creative interpretations of the original come into play.

Already, this classic cocktail has gone in a number of directions. Some bartenders like to swap bourbon for rum while others go the agave spirits route. At the moment, we’re in the mood for something truly layered and wonderful.

So we sifted through some cocktails in our inbox and found one from a top NYC restaurant that really sings. It takes advantage of lesser-known liqueurs, apple brandy, and more. Are you up for the challenge?

The following recipe comes to us from a Michelin-starred restaurant in Gabriel Kreuther in NYC. It’s the creation of the restaurant’s head bartender Katie Zuidema.

Nectar Confit

Now, is this an easy cocktail to make? Of course not. You don’t get multiple Michelin stars for taking the road most traveled. But don’t worry, when you put in the work, you get impressive results.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 ounces foie fat and apple washed Peg Leg Porker
• 1/4 ounce Giffard Abricot
• 1/4 ounce Linie Aquavit
• 1/4 ounce Orchard Hill Pommeau
• 1/4 ounce Luxardo Amaretto
• 1/10 ounce vanilla syrup
• 1 dash saline
• 1 dash Angostura Bitters
• 1 dash cherry bark bitters

*Foie Fat and Apple Washed Peg Leg Porker: Set up ban marie with water and sous vide circulator. Set circulator to 125°F for 3.5 hours. In three separate Sous Vide bags, add 640 grams of bourbon, 320 grams apples, and 2 tablespoons duck fat. Allow bags to sit in water bath for 3 1/2 hours, shaking bags to integrate ingredients every hour. Strain out apples and allow mixture to cool and place infused bourbon in quart containers and freeze overnight. Remove hardened fat and strain
bourbon through coffee filter.

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a rocks glass with a large ice cube and stir.
2. Garnish with apple triangle with nested Luxardo cherry.

Want a maximalist pairing to go with this complex cocktail? The restaurant recommends bacon & mushroom tart flambees, duck confit, sausage, sturgeon tart, and duck breast.