Wafer Dreams
Content was originally created in collaboration with Steel Dust Vodka.
Views and opinions are my own.
This cocktail actually tastes like a cookie– but not in a sugary-gross way, more like “I’m drinking a cocktail and thinking of cookies” sort of way.
I infused Steel Dust Vodka with brown butter, which gives it a creamy texture and a subtle caramel/toffee flavor. (There are instructions for “fat washing” vodka at the end of this post.)
Amontillado sherry adds some “nuttiness” and just ½ teaspoon of overproof Demerara rum brings in rich notes of baking spices. I used Hamilton 151– which I’m sure sounds intimidating but 151 rum is not just for lighting on fire at tiki bars. This particular bottle is just packed with incredible flavor and if you use it sparingly (almost like you would bitters), it can really take your cocktails to a whole other level.
Finally, everything is balanced with one of my all-time favorite ingredients: freshly made vanilla bean syrup. It might be the best vodka recipe I’ve come up with yet.
ingredients:
2½ oz Steel Dust Vodka infused with brown butter
½ oz amontillado sherry
¼ oz vanilla bean syrup
½ oz teaspoon overproof Demerara rum
Stroopwafel garnish
instructions:
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and stir with ice.
Strain into a Nick & Nora glass.
Garnish with a stroopwafel.
Infusing vodka with brown butter
This infusion was a simple “fat wash.” I took about 4-5 tablespoons of butter and browned it on the stove. I let it cool slightly then poured it into a glass container that held about 12oz of vodka.
I then placed the container in the freezer overnight, so the next morning there was a thin layer of frozen butter on top of the vodka. The frozen butter is easy to remove in one piece, but there are often some extra solids floating in the vodka, so I also recommend straining through a cheese clothe to get the spirit mostly clear.
The flavor won’t be too dramatic, but it does give the vodka a subtle caramel / toffee taste and a creamy texture that’s perfect for a drink like this!
I keep my infusions in small bottles with corks– why? Because it looks cool.
More cocktail recipes:
When adding fresh herbs to cocktails, like basil or mint, many reach for the muddler and proceed to crush the herbs into pieces in the base of the cocktail shaker. There’s really no reason to do this and you probably shouldn’t because overly crushing the herbs may introduce unwanted bitterness in the cocktail.