Ryan Wisniewski
I wasn’t in an especially literary mood the other day when I shimmied up to the bar at 1847 at the Stamm House, yet my eyes fell immediately upon the Scarlet Letter. I’d be partial to any cocktail made with house cherry bitters, fresh lime, Death’s Door vodka and yellow Chartreuse (an aromatic, 80-proof French liqueur).
But it was the syrup — hibiscus/rose — that really seduced my inner Hester Prynne. Bar manager Travis Knight (who also tends bar at Natt Spil) was willing to divulge his secrets.
When he first started tinkering with the syrup, Knight made a strong batch of tea from dried rose and hibiscus flowers. Later he discovered that Rishi Tea makes a blend called Scarlet, with hibiscus, rooibos, blueberry, currant and other notes. Now he combines this blend with his original recipe, stepping up the hibiscus to give it more bite.
Although the blueberry can be strong on the nose, the syrup otherwise smells like a flower garden. The sweet Chartreuse and tart syrup balance nicely. It’s also a pretty drink, served in a coupe glass with one or two floating rosebuds.
Knight originally made the drink with gin, rather than vodka. I tried both and highly recommend the original. Sounds dangerous, I know. But the gin makes it that much more sinfully fragrant.
