The Story Behind The Forgotten Lore

A cocktail project for the ambitious, the Forgotten Lore from Yacht Club’s McLain Hedges may be a time-consuming venture, but it’s one that produces impressive and very satisfying results. Inspired by the holiday sweet potatoes of his childhood, Hedges’ creation has lots of familiar flavors bound together by spice and warmth.

Featuring coconut-washed whiskey, aged Jamaican rum, sweet potato syrup, and dessert wine, this drink is at once complex, comforting, and totally worth the effort.

This recipe is part of our 2023 Holiday Cocktail Countdown. Click here to see all of the festive recipes as they publish throughout December.

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce coconut fat-washed rye*
  • 1 ounce aged Jamaican rum
  • ¼ ounce sweet potato syrup**
  • ¾ ounce Galant des Abbesses or Barolo Chinato
  • 20 drops acid solution (10%)***
  • 7 drops saline (10%)****
  • Garnish: toasted meringue

Directions

  1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled.
  2. Strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube.
  3. Garnish with toasted meringue.

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Yield: 1
Updated: 2023-12-24

*Coconut Fat–Washed Rye Ingredients

  • 1 750-milliliter bottle of rye whiskey
  • 5 ounces coconut oil

*Coconut Fat–Washed Rye Directions

  1. Combine whiskey with coconut oil and sous vide for 30 minutes at 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. After 30 minutes, chill combination in an ice bath until all coconut fat is solidified.
  3. Alternative method: Add whiskey to a large jar or sealable container. Heat coconut oil until fully melted and add to whiskey. Stir or shake the mixture to disperse coconut oil and allow to sit at room temperature, covered, for 4–6 hours. Place container in refrigerator until all the coconut fat has solidified.
  4. Strain through a coffee filter and store in a sealed container.
The Forgotten Lore

**Sweet Potato Syrup

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 peeled and chopped sweet potatoes
  • 3 cloves
  • 2 cardamom pods
  • 1 half cinnamon stick

Directions

  1. Add contents to a plastic pouch and sous vide for 2 hours over low heat.
  2. Alternative method: Combine water and sweet potatoes in a pot and bring to a boil; boil for 10 minutes or until fork-tender. Turn heat to low and add sugar, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and a splash or two more water and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Strain through coffee filter and store in a sealed container.

***Acid Solution

Ingredients

  • 5 grams malic acid
  • 10 grams citric acid
  • 150 grams water

Directions

  1. In a container, combine all ingredients and stir to dissolve.
  2. Seal container and store.

****Saline Solution

Ingredients

  • 20 grams salt
  • 200 grams water

Directions

  1. In a container, combine ingredients and stir to dissolve.
  2. Seal container and store.