Paulius Musteikis
Beer syrup is the secret ingredient in the Stupid Sexy Flanders from Merchant.
Beer syrup has appeared on few Madison cocktail lists this season, most notably in a hibiscus-beer syrup at Mezze by manager Dave Biefer, and also at Merchant, in Thor Messer’s drink Stupid Sexy Flanders. This latter is a heady combination of St. George Botanivore gin, lemon juice, egg white, cream and bitters mixed with syrup made from Duchesse de Bourgogne red ale.
To know this ale from Belgium is to obsess. On the nose, it smells at first reminiscent of balsamic vinegar or Worcestershire sauce, but then gives way to dark stone fruit and strawberry. It’s also a bit funky, and a sweet finish balances the overall impression of sour puckery-ness. If that sounds like a lot, it is — the beer hits a number of notes.
As a syrup, the complexity collapses a bit, until it’s revived in drinks. The beer’s complexity then releases in gin or, my personal favorite, rum.
Experimenting with beer syrups is not only great fun, but simple to do at home.
Beer syrup
Reduce the beer (use 3 to 4 12-oz. bottles) in a saucepan on medium-high heat for 30-40 minutes until there’s 1/3 of the original volume. Remove from heat, and add an equal part sugar to the remaining liquid (most accurately done by weighing both the sugar and the beer, but if you have, say, a cup of reduced beer remaining, simply add a cup of sugar). Stir, and voilà! It will keep a few weeks in the refrigerator. Also try it as a marinade.