Halloween is the most spooktacular night of the year for a party; it’s just too bad Halloween cocktails are almost universally frightful. Weird colours, creepy garnishes, far too much dry ice, dubious vessels—you might as well stick to the classic Zombies and Bloody Marys, right?
Not if Wyeth Maiers has his say. The bar manager at UVA Wine & Cocktail Bar has created a Halloween cocktail that is both clever and complicated and, most importantly, delicious.
“A while back a friend and myself were discussing contrasting methods of using the egg whites and the yolk differently in cocktails, and for it to come together nicely,” Maiers says.
That led to the creation of the Graveyard Flip, in which he uses a reverse dry shake to make a torched meringue topping, then dry-shakes a frothy egg yolk cocktail base, and combines them to create two effects in one.
“When I was given the task to create a Halloween cocktail for UVA, I knew this would be perfect opportunity to use this method as the scorched-earth effect would tie in nicely with Halloween,” he says. “What I love about Halloween is quite simple: I love the creativity and how much effort people put into it.”
GRAVEYARD FLIP
The Graveyard Flip. (via Uva Wine & Cocktail Bar)Meringue:
- 3 egg whites
- 1 oz crème de cassis
Cocktail:
- 0.75 oz Evan Williams bourbon
- 0.25 oz Fernet Branca
- 2 tsp Laphroaig 10-Year-Old single malt whisky
- 0.75 oz lemon juice
- 0.5 oz maple syrup
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- 1 egg yolk
- Garnish: Grated chocolate, granulated sugar, (optional) brandied cherries
Make the cassis egg white meringue: Charge a whipped cream canister twice with an N20 charge to get that extra frothiness, then add the three egg whites and crème de cassis. Shake vigorously and put aside.
Place the cocktail ingredients into a shaker without ice. Dry shake vigorously to froth the egg yolk, then add ice and shake again. Fine strain into a Collins glass and add ice.
Very slowly top with the meringue—you want it to sit on top, not mix in with the cocktail. Sprinkle grated chocolate and sugar on top of the egg whites, then, using a blow torch, crisp the top of the egg whites. If you like, add two brandied cherries or any other garnish you prefer. Serves one.
