It turns out Everclear is good for more than just tubs of jungle juice at college parties.
Mixologist Ted Kilgore demonstrated how the corn-based, neutral spirit can be used in a variety of ways during a workshop Tuesday afternoon at Denmark.
The workshop was part of Everclear’s “Make It Your Own” tour. Columbus was the tour’s second stop after St. Louis, where Kilgore and his wife own Planter’s House.
Kilgore opened the event by creating and passing out a concoction called Bee Sage, a cocktail composed of a blackberry sage infusion, lemon juice and honey syrup. The honey and lemon combo was soothing like tea on a sick day, but the tart, pungent infusion brought you back to life.
Other infusions sampled through the event included raspberry limoncello, chamomile cucumber and watermelon jalapeno — all made from Everclear.
Kilgore emphasized the benefits of using Everclear for each cocktail component — the base, modifiers and enhancers. For example, a 750ml bottle of Everclear can be transformed into two bottles of vodka or gin or four bottles of liqueur. Modifiers made from Everclear also have a much longer shelf-life compared to basic simple syrups. In addition, Everclear’s high alcohol content allows for quick flavor extraction — Kilgore said he only had to infuse the spirit with jalapenos for 15 minutes in order to get the strong, but not knock-you-out, flavor in the watermelon jalapeno infusion. Said infusion was then used in the Border Crossing cocktail, a refreshing take on the margarita.
The myriad of options allow mixologists — from professionals behind the bar to amateurs at house parties — to take drinks to the next level, all with Everclear. Who woulda thought?
