Challenged with Madras curry powder by Micah Melton of the Aviary, Graham Elliot Bistro bartender Dave Michalowski initially thought of doing a tiki-style cocktail. That changed once he got a whiff of the spice blend in full flower. His “awakening moment”? It smelled like maple syrup.
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Zaya Gran Reserva 12-year rum, from Trinidad, provides some sweetness and a little vanilla, with “a barley note in the background,” he said. Sherry is another key, adding some dryness as well as a nutty, citrusy flavor. Michalowski upped the ante when it came to maple, using “Sweet Autumn”-flavored artisanal syrup from Moosewood Hollow. Cardamom bitters and the Madras curry tincture itself keep the spicier elements in the fore.
The name of the drink comes from the last line of the sonnet “Prayer,” written by the 17th-century metaphysical poet George Herbert, a compatriot of John Donne.
View a slideshow of Dave Michalowski making a Madras curry powder cocktail.
Step-by-step instructions for making a Graham Elliot Bistro bartender’s Madras curry cocktail
Dave Michalowski demonstrates his spicy-sweet rum-based drink the Land of Spices.
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice, and stir. With a dropper, rinse the rim of a rocks glass with an additional dose of curry tincture. Strain the drink over a large ice cube in a rocks glass and garnish with a basil sprig.
