The Lion's Tail

I first had a Lion’s Tail a few years ago when I was traveling to Raleigh-Durham, NC for work. It’s easy to stay in at night when you’re traveling cross country for just a day or two, but it makes for better stories if you can get out for at least a a bit. On this trip, I took a drive to Chapel Hill and found this amazing bar called Crunkleton’s. I recently found out that the bar is named after the owner, Gary Crunkelton, which burst my bubble a little because I always assumed it was just referencing a nice spot to drink some whiskey and get a little crunk… But I digress...

The Lion’s Tail is great drink for chilly fall and winter nights. It’s made with a unique mix of ingredients that you wouldn’t necessarily associate with each other: bourbon, lime juice and All Spice Dram liqueur.

You can use any bourbon for this drink, but one of my favorites is Willets Pot Still Reserve, which not only tastes amazing, but also comes in this beautiful bottle(!) We’re used to associating whiskey drinks with lemon (like the whiskey sour), but the fruit in this drink comes from lime juice. Rum based liqueur St Elizabeth’s All Spice Dram from Jamaica brings those wintry flavors of nutmeg, clove and cinnamon and I like to add an egg white to give it a creamy finish and a little foam. This is sometimes referred to as a Lion’s Mane to distinguish it from a traditional Lion’s Tail. Ingredients (all Available at Howie’s Market): 2 oz Willets Pot Still Reserve Bourbon 1/2 oz St Elizabeth’s All Spice Dram 1/2 oz lime juice 1/2 oz simple syrup 3 dashes Angostura bitters

The key to getting a good foam in your drink is a dry shake (combine all ingredients into a shaker with no ice and shake vigorously). Add ice and shake some more.

Strain into a coup glass and enjoy with friends.

Cheers!