LI PULSE Sipping to the end

Anyone that’s been blown slightly off-course in Long Island’s wine country knows the North Fork is home to hideaways. Take for example Jamesport’s Jedediah Hawkins Inn. It’s been collecting history since 1863, most notably an affiliation with two types of spirits. Spectral sightings have been rare since its expert restoration, but you can count on an expertly-slung cocktail in a secret bar speculated to have been used as a smuggler’s cache in lifetimes past.

Behind the bar, you’ll find Colin Keillor, its manager and beverage director, whose Rusty Cage has become a signature drink here. “The Rusty Cage was actually created by the owner of Lazy Point, a bar on Spring Street in New York City,” Keillor shared. “But the bar was named after the East End town where he grew up,” bringing its origin full circle here at the Inn. “We’d held a mixology open discussion demonstration in our speakeasy, and the drink was first introduced then.”

The smoky, golden drink is what Keillor calls “a contemporary twist on one of the most identifiable cocktails of the Prohibition Era, an instant and easy choice to carry in this historic venue.” Despite it being served in an old-fashioned glass, the brands that make up the whole are modern. Keillor substitutes the muddling of the orange and cherries with herbaceous Amaro, the slightly bitter Luxardo Maraschino and orange zest. After all, “The roots of mixology are intertwined in the age of Prohibition, as bartenders had to find ways to make the illegal ‘rot-gut’ booze available palatable to their customers, which ushered in the advent of cocktails.”

Best enjoyed with rich flavors like cheese and steak, it’s available throughout the house…but we think it’s more fun this summer underground.

Recipe

4 oz Bulleit bourbon
1 oz Amaro
1/2 oz Luxardo cherry liqueur
2 dashes bitters
Shaved orange rind
Orange slice