The Third Oath

A distilled, highly alcoholic (45-75% ABV), anise-flavored beverage derived from botanicals like wormwood, green anise, fennel, hyssop, melissa and other herbs. Technically a spirit, as it is not bottled with sugar. The green fairy.

A class of bitters that a broadly made from aromatic herbs, spices, fruits and botanicals. This includes Peychuad and Angostura bitters. You can make these at home. There are plenty of recipes online for various bitters, a good book source is 'Bitters' by Brad Parsons. The only down side is they generally require hard-ish to source ingredients.

The second most common juice used in cocktails. This citrus juice is about 6% acid; 4% from citric and 2% from malic, with small amounts of succinic acid (this is what gives it a little bloody taste). Lime juice should be used the day it is squeezed, some like it freshly squeezed and others like it a few hours old.

A juice used in some cocktails for its tart and acidic properties. Grapefruit juice can be pre-squeezed and kept fresh for many days like orange juice, unlike lemon and lime juice.

The general term for the Carribean-based nonalcoholic syrup. Falernum is a sweet syrup commonly used in tropical drinks and usually flavored with almond, ginger, cloves, vanilla, allspice and lime. You can make it yourself, it takes a few days. Combine 1/3 cup toasted almonds with 1/2 cup for light rum. Seal and let sit for 2 days. Add the zest of 8 limes (no pith) and 30 whole cloves, stir and let sit for another day. Juice 4 limes and strain the juice into a sauce pot. Add 2/3 cups water and 1/2 cup sugar and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Let the syrup cool then combine it with the almond/rum infusion. Stir to combine then strain all through a cheesecloth or coffee filter. Add alcohol as a preservative and turn it into Velvet Falernum.

A concentrated syrup made from sugar water and cinnamon bark. You can make this yourself by adding a few cinnamon sticks to your simple syrup making process. We always use 1:1 syrup unless otherwise noted in the recipe itself.

A high proof (>57.5 ABV) dark/black rum, that may be specifically from one origin or a blend from many. Common examples are Plantation OFTD and Lemon Hart 151.

A tree bark spice, commonly used as a grated garnish in cocktails, an ingredient in the cocktail, or floating as a whole piece as a garnish.

Aromatic plants used in cocktails as a garnish or muddled into the liquor to add a light fresh taste. Common in the Mint Julep.