The Knickerbocker, a largely forgotten Civil Conflict–period drink, is an unlikely candidate for the cocktail menu at an elegant restaurant in San Diego. However when Lucas Ryden, bar director on the newly opened Vulture, was searching for previous drinks to revive for the menu, he looked for recipes that may hit a candy spot: “not overplayed, but in addition not too bizarre or unusual that the trendy drinker wouldn’t take pleasure in them.” That’s when the rum punch caught his eye.
Although there are information of a cocktail known as the Knickerbocker relationship to no less than the 1840s, the model at Vulture relies on the recipe in Jerry Thomas’ 1862 bar information. It’s one of many few single-serving drinks within the e-book that bears a novel title—a rarity on the time—versus a formulaic mixture of spirit and drink fashion, just like the Whiskey Smash or Brandy Repair.
Thomas’ recipe requires a base of Santa Cruz rum with Curaçao and raspberry syrup, plus the juice (and rind) of a lemon or lime. This was all to be cooled with shaved ice and shaken up, then garnished with berries.
Santa Cruz rum, made on the Caribbean island of St. Croix, was a preferred ingredient in cocktails throughout the Nineteenth century. Although the island continues to make rum, it now not produces the Nineteenth-century pot nonetheless fashion that Thomas would have used. At Vulture, Ryden makes use of a mixture of three rum expressions for his take: Probitas, an aged white rum from Foursquare in Barbados and Hampden Property in Jamaica; Chairman’s Reserve from St. Lucia, which is aged in ex-bourbon barrels; and Saint Benevolence, a Haitian clairin, which contributes a grassy, virtually savory notice. Ryden says the flavorful mix “pairs very well with the fruity, jammy, citrusy notes” within the cocktail.
To play the function of the Curaçao, Ryden makes yet one more mix. The primary element is a Creole shrub from Martinique producer Clément, which Ryden prizes for its funky, tropical, brilliant citrus taste and its spice notice. For a richer element, he makes use of Alma Finca, a Mexican orange liqueur that he says is just like Grand Marnier in its texture and weight. It’s made with each bitter and candy orange peels, orange and lemon leaf, allspice and achiote.
Maybe the most important departure from the unique Knickerbocker recipe is Ryden’s determination to nix the raspberry liqueur in favor of a blackberry, cacao nib and orange peel shrub from Cool Hand Co., which is his personal venture. Ryden says Cool Hand’s shrubs are extra viscous and fewer vinegary than most others he’s encountered due to the manufacturing course of, which entails a dayslong maceration for further richness. As a closing contact, he additionally calls on a housemade black peppercorn and cinnamon syrup to complement all the refined spice notes throughout the drink.
When Ryden serves the Knickerbocker, its beautiful purple hue creates a “fajita impact”—different visitors can’t resist ordering one for themselves. The combination is whip-shaken and strained right into a footed rocks glass, then capped off with a mint bouquet, orange wheel and mound of pebble ice—further refreshing within the 80-degree warmth. “It’s form of an ideal San Diego cocktail for the summer time,” says Ryden.
