I recently had the Brown Thrasher bourbon cocktail at Eleanor's and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite go-to drinks. I would love to try my hand at making this on my own for some friends. Would it be possible for you to help us get the recipe? Thanks for your help! —Mackenzie Anderson, Smyrna
The Brown Thrasher is the best-selling cocktail at Eleanor’s, a creation of bartender Erik Ellickson. He tells us customers often say it tastes like fall in a glass or maybe a smoked apple pie.
Like many well-made cocktails, it’s a finely tuned blend of several ingredients, some of which may not be on your home bar shelf. For example, the Amaro Averna is a liqueur from Sicily that contributes both sweet and bitter notes. Angostura bitters are widely available and have been around for decades, but as the bitters market has grown, you’ll find several brands of specialized bitters like the old-fashioned bitters called for here.
The housemade apple shrub is the real star. Ellickson makes it by smoking apples, then pureeing them and adding sugar, cinnamon and apple cider vinegar. You can find the recipe at www.mussandturners.com/shrub_recipe/. Make a simpler apple shrub at home by following his basic directions (perhaps using a smaller quantity) but skipping the smoking step.
Eleanor’s at Muss & Turner’s, 1675 Cumberland Parkway, Smyrna. 770-434-1114. mussandturners.com/eleanors/
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you'd like to make at home? Tell us and we'll try to get it. We'll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can't answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put "From the menu of" and the name of restaurant in the subject line.
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