Sweet Sixteen

This cocktail was inspired by a friend who recently tried a similar concoction at l'Artusi in Manhattan's West Village. It is pretty easy to make and in the words of the marketing team at Bud Light, has great drinkability (still trying to determine exactly what this means). I named it after the tournament that you can see in the background of the photo (I think it was Dayton dismantling Stanford... sorry Cardinals fans!).

Keep in mind that Cherry Heering is one of those ingredients that you may not see at the shelf of your local liquor store but big enough shops will have it out back for special restaurant orders and will most likely sell it to you.

• 1.5oz bourbon (Jefferson's for us)
• .5oz Cherry Heering
• .5oz sage simple syrup
• Two dashes of orange bitters
• Sage & lemon peel for garnish
• Ice ball

Add bourbon, Heering, simple syrup, and orange bitters to a mixing glass and stir. Pour over ice ball in a rocks glass and garnish with sage and lemon peel.

Making the sage simple syrup: Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a stove pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Chop about 20-25 sage leaves and add to the pot once the sugar has dissolved - turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for another couple minutes. Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool - this will allow the sage leaves to steep and release more flavor. When it has cooled, strain out the leaves and put the syrup in an airtight container in your fridge (you can add a shot of vodka to extend the shelf life of the syrup).