ABOUT THE PEARLY GATES
The Pearly Gate is named after the synonym for the entrance to heaven. This cocktail will definitely be a heavenly addition to your repertoire. Simple to make, complex flavours that allow the bourbon to be the centre-of-attention.
Before we dive into the recipe, I just have to note, that this is one of those cocktails where substituting another bourbon will drastically change the resulting flavour of the cocktail — the ingredients are specifically made and measured for the Angel’s Envy Bourbon finished in Port Wine Barrels.
I tried the recipe with Angel’s Envy, a Canadian whisky and another bourbon and each whisky made an enormous difference (and this made for a great night of experimenting).
Let’s talk for a second about the impact of those Port Wine Barrels on the bourbon. Port, which is a type of fortified wine from Portugal, comes in two main styles: Ruby and Tawny. Ruby Ports are aged for a short time in barrels whereas Tawny Ports can be aged for several years (read: 10 to 40+ years). Therefore, Ruby Ports tend to display red fruit and chocolate flavours with spicy acidity. Further to this, these casks are made from French oak which produces different flavour notes than that of American Oak (which is what bourbon is typically aged in). French Oak will add some notes of spice (like cloves), rich dried fruit, and dates to a whisk(e)y. Finally, Angel’s Envy uses half-sized barrels that are around 240L (typical port pipes are 550L) so they will impart flavour more rapidly than typical pipes.
Therefore to complement and enrich these notes that are present in this specific bourbon, Amontillado sherry (think nutty and dried fruits) and a Fig + Coffee syrup are used to let the bourbon shine.
INGREDIENTS IN THE PEARLY GATE
60 ml Angel’s Envy Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels
25 ml Amontillado (Medium Dry) Sherry
10 ml Fig + Espresso Syrup*
Lemon Zest
HOW TO MAKE THE PEARLY GATE
In a mixing glass, add bourbon, sherry, syrup, and ice. Stir for 30–45 seconds until chilled. Strain into your favourite cocktail glass and express lemon zest over the drink. Garnish and enjoy.
OTHER INFORMATION
[How to Make the Fig + Espresso Syrup]
Ingredients:
50 grams Dried Figs
100 grams Demerara Sugar
100 grams Boiling Water
1 tbsp Ground Espresso Coffee Beans (Medium or Dark Roast)
In a mason jar add figs and cover with sugar and boiling water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let sit for 4–6 hours. Add the ground espresso beans and let sit for another 1–2 hours. Using cheese cloth or a fine strainer, strain out coffee and figs. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Note: The ground coffee beans are added in later, because they infuse quickly and instead of ‘cooking’ the beans and bringing out bright, acidic flavours, the coffee is steeped at room temperature adding richness and depth to the syrup.
