Excerpted from David Solmonson and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson’s The 12 Bottle Bar.
Lesley here. One of the perks of having a husband who plays around with cocktails is that I am often lucky enough to have one created just for me. The “I Do,” a drink recipe posted on the 12 Bottle Bar site that commemorated our twelfth wedding anniversary, is an example of David’s romantic side. As I originally said when presented with this gift in drink form, that ‘I Do’ was the best thing I ever did.
On a more serious note, this is one lovely drink. The rum and honey-melon combination really harmonizes, while the rum adds spice and the Angostura adds a touch of bitterness to counter what might become too cloying a profile.
I Do
GLASS: MARTINI | ICE: CUBED | MAKES: 1 DRINK
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces amber rum
- 2 ounces Honey Melon Nectar (recipe follows)
- Dash aromatic bitters
- Rose petal (preferably organic or unsprayed), for garnish
Instructions
- Combine all of the liquid ingredients in a mixing glass, fill the glass three-quarters full with ice cubes, cover with a Boston shaker tin, and shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled, 15 seconds.
- Strain into a martini glass and garnish beautifully with a rose petal.
Honey Melon Nectar
MAKES: ABOUT 4 OUNCES
Ingredients
- 1 cup roughly chopped ripe Tuscan melon or other sweet, orange-fleshed melon, such as cantaloupe
- 1½ tablespoons honey
- ½ ounce strained, freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Place the melon in a mixing glass, add the honey and lemon juice, and muddle until the ingredients are as liquid as possible.
- Strain the mixture into another glass, using the muddler to force all possible liquid from the pulp. Discard the solids. The nectar will keep, refrigerated, in an airtight container for about 2 days.
About the Book:
It’s a system, a tool kit, a recipe book. Beginning with one irresistible idea—a complete home bar of just 12 key bottles—here’s how to make more than 200 classic and unique mixed drinks, including sours, slings, toddies, and highballs, plus the perfect Martini, the perfect Manhattan, and the perfect Mint Julep.
It’s a surprising guide—tequila didn’t make the cut, and neither did bourbon, but genever did. And it’s a literate guide—describing with great liveliness everything from the importance of vermouth and bitters (the “salt and pepper” of mixology) to the story of a punch bowl so big it was stirred by a boy in a rowboat.
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