By Jackie Zykan
With over 20 years of experience in beverage alcohol, and a love affair with the natural world, I am delighted to share some of Kentucky’s finest distilled spirits alongside fresh, local, and seasonal botanicals.
As the days get longer, the beauty of flora in Kentucky continues to emerge amid the mourning dove’s song. This month’s inspiration is drawn from fond memories of after dinner strolls in the bonus daylight hours of the evening, hearing the sweet bird’s melody and taking in all the blooms the neighborhood has to offer. It seems fitting to honor the serenity of early summer with a Paloma recipe. The Paloma (Spanish for “Dove”) is an agave spirit based cocktail, which can be made simply using grapefruit soda, or fresh juices, syrup, and sparkling water to invite creative twists complementing the season.
Featured Kentucky Distillery: MB Roland
Located in Pembroke, KY, the MB Roland Distillery is a grain to glass operation with a passion for quality, hospitality, and a knack for innovation. “MB” references Merry Beth Tomaszewski, who shares ownership and operation of the distillery with her husband, Paul. While their portfolio includes a diverse selection of whiskies, one of their hidden gems is a pot-distilled 100% agave spirit rested in spent bourbon barrels. With the distinctive herbal and floral notes one would expect from an agave based spirit, balanced with the subtle character of beloved Kentucky bourbon, this one of a kind product is the perfect base for a fresh summer cocktail.
Featured Kentucky Flora: Magnolia grandiflora
It is said if you make a Sazerac cocktail properly, it will have the aroma of a southern magnolia blossom. But Magnolia grandiflora is much more than an aromatic inspiration. The blossoms are edible, and have been embraced by traditional folk medicine practices for a plethora of ailments. If you’re blessed to have a southern magnolia on your property, then you’re sure to benefit from the year-round broad green leaves and gorgeous white blooms throughout summer. Magnolias symbolize luck, stability, perseverance, purity, femininity, and nobility. Most importantly, the flowers are delicious! The petals carry a ginger like flavor, and can be pickled, candied, or in this recipe, used as a syrup.
Mourning Dove Cocktail
1.5 oz MB Roland Kentucky Azul Reposado Agave Spirit 1.5 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice 1 oz magnolia syrup 0.5 oz freshly squeezed lime juice ~ 2 oz sparkling water
Directions: Combine spirit, juices, and syrup in shaker tin. Shake with ice. Add ~ 2 oz sparkling water to tin, then strain into glass with fresh ice. Garnish with grapefruit, mint sprig, and magnolia petal.
Mocktail Variation: Omit the spirit, and double the sparkling water.
Magnolia Syrup
½ cup water ¾ cup granulated sugar 8-12 large white magnolia petals, loosely torn
Directions: Combine water and sugar over heat until dissolved. Allow to cool 15 minutes. Pour over petals, steeping for 15 minutes. Strain, keep refrigerated.
- take only what you need. I go conservative on this rule, only taking 10% max. Luckily this recipe only requires 1-2 blooms for 8 oz of syrup (8 cocktail servings)
- never use ingredients without 100% certainty of identification
- don’t harvest plants which have been treated with chemicals for pesticides/ herbicides
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