Golden Bowl

The rules for matching cocktails with food are a lot more lax than with wine. Really, anything goes, though the more complicated and layered the ingredients are in the glass, the more involved your accompanying hors d’oeuvres can be, and vice versa. For simpler cocktails, simple foods work best.

To accompany this rye- and fennel-flavored cocktail, I whipped toasted fennel seeds and fragrant dark green fennel fronds into a velvety smooth white bean dip, which we scooped up with slivers of the bulb. One large, feathery fennel sufficed for both cocktails and dip.

Ingredients

• 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• Tiny pinch kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fennel fronds, including stems, preferably bronze fennel, plus a sprig for garnish
• 2 ounces rye whiskey, preferably Old Overholt
• ¾ ounce fresh orange juice
• ½ teaspoon absinthe, preferably Kubler
• ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (1 serving)

    915 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 197 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 194 grams sugars; 0 grams protein; 300 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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1 serving

Preparation

1. Finely grate the ginger, wrap it in cheesecloth and squeeze out the juice.
2. Make simple syrup by combining the superfine sugar with 1 cup water in a jar; shake until sugar is dissolved. (This will keep in the refrigerator for weeks.)
3. In a mixing glass, muddle salt and fennel fronds. Add whiskey, orange juice, 1 teaspoon simple syrup, absinthe, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of the ginger juice. Fill mixing glass 2/3 full of ice and shake vigorously. Taste and add more simple syrup if you like.
4. Using a fine mesh strainer, pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of fennel frond.