McGill Law Review Cocktail - LeNell It All

by LeNell Smothers, Posted Mar 19th 2010 @ 3:00PM

Photo: Compass Box

Anybody who knows me knows I prefer American whiskey like bourbon and rye to barley whiskeys like Scotch and Irish. I do enjoy a dram of other styles from time to time, particularly from a dear gentleman named John Glaser, the whisky maker behind Compass Box brands.

His rebel whiskeys paired with a rebel rye girl named Abigail Gullo recently turned up another cocktail to defy my "there ain't no such thing as a good Scotch cocktail" banter. As a fellow lady bartender, Ms. Gullo loves her American whiskey cocktails like me, but took on the challenge to make one I can find palatable. She combined the pungency of Scotch with the herbal Chartreuse and floral sweetness of her lavender syrup, bringing it all together with the brightness of lemon.

As a nod to her French-Canadian roots, she named the drink in honor of friends attending law school at McGill University in Montreal.

Check out the recipe for the McGill Law Review Cocktail after the jump.

The McGill Law Review Cocktail

Spritz of Compass Box The Peat Monster Malt Scotch Whisky
2 oz Compass Box Oak Cross Malt Scotch Whisky
3/4 oz yellow Chartreuse
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz lavender maple syrup*
Dash of Fee Brothers Rhubarb Bitters
Lemon peel garnish

Spritz a pre-chilled old-fashioned glass with Peat Monster with an atomizer. If you aren't into fancy things like atomizers, drop a small splash of whisky in the glass, roll it around to coat the glass and then dump it wherever you deem best, like your mouth. Into your shaker, pour the Oak Cross, lemon juice, yellow Chartreuse, dash of Rhubarb bitters and lavender maple syrup. Add ice. Shake for slow 10 count. Fill old-fashioned glass with rock ice and strain mixture into it. Garnish with a large swath of lemon peel.

*Steep 1/2 a cup of hot water in 1 tablespoon dried or fresh lavender for 5 minutes. Mix with 1/2 cup of maple syrup. Yields 1 cup of syrup. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator up to one week.

Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of Casa Cóctel with partner Demián Camacho Santa Ana. She's owned her own whiskey label, called Red Hook Rye, and has been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.

Filed Under: Drink Recipes, Drinks
Tags: Abigail Gullo, cocktail recipes, compass box whisky, lenell smothers, McGill Law Review Cocktail