The Tail Flip
Flips are a very old style of cocktail made with spirit, sugar, spices, and whole raw egg. The most familiar flip (and debatable, as it contains cream, which was not usually found in historic flip recipes) is eggnog. Other flips call for ale, various spirits including gin and rum, Port and sherry, and, in some cases, the application of a red-hot poker to heat the drink before serving.
This flip-style cocktail from Head Bartender Pete Stanton of Ai Fiori NYC takes the drink in a complex, herbaceous direction with the addition of mint and bark flavors. Barrell Dovetail’s sweet red fruit finish is embellished with the addition of kirsch (cherry brandy), making a Black Forest connection to the herbal, chocolatey notes of the alpine amaro. No need to heat up your poker; it’s served cold.
Tail Flip
● 1 ½ ounces Barrell Dovetail
● ¾ ounces vanilla syrup*
● ½ ounce minty Alpine amaro (try Braulio Amaro)
● ¼ ounce kirsch
● One whole egg
● Cherry and mint sprig, for garnish
Add all ingredients except garnish to a shaker tin. Add two ice cubes, and shake well until both cubes are completely dissolved. Pour into a chilled stemmed whisky glass, and garnish with the cherry and mint sprig.
*Vanilla syrup
Seed two vanilla bean pods into two cups of white sugar and muddle well. Allow the sugar mixture to sit for at least two hours. Whisk in two cups of near-boiling water to dissolve all sugar granules. Allow the mixture to rest to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight. Strain mixture and keep refrigerated.