The Gaviota

The Gaviota

Posted on December 1, 2013

The Gaviota as we call it is an “enhanced” version of the Brandy Alexander, a hundred-year-old drink which is theoretically perfect for the holidays, but in honesty, makes for a thick, heavy, and overly sweet cocktail by traditional recipe standards. Inspired by the bartenders at Tasting Kitchen in Los Angeles, we’ve reinvented this drink and made it a bit lighter and a bit boozier —and of course we’ve made it more complex with Massey Honey! The old recipe is equal parts brandy, cream, and creme de cocoa, with a nutmeg rim. What we’ve done is to slightly lower the proportion of creme de cocoa and cream and also to separate them out in the glass, so that the cream acts as a kind of foam. We also strongly recommend that you splurge for cognac over brandy and as well as the best possible creme de cocoa (chocolate liqueur) that you can find, as $6 versions abound in their horrible syrupy-ness.

 

Ingredients

2 oz. cognac
1 oz. creme de cocoa
1 oz. cream
freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 oz. Massey honey syrup

 

Chill stemmed cocktail glasses. You’ll need two mixing tins to make this. In one, add the cognac and creme de cocoa, and fill with large ice cubes — just let them sit for a few minutes. Add cream and honey syrup to the other tin, cover, and shake hard and long. After 45 seconds open and check it out; you want it to aerate a bit so that it doesn’t sink in the drink. You’re not looking for soft peaks, but you definitely want some thickness. Once that’s done, give your cognac mixture a gentle stir, and strain it into the bottom of the glass. Carefully pour the cream on top of the cognac so that it sits up like the head of a beer (use a spoon to slide it on if you like). Then grate fresh nutmeg over the top until you can smell it. Enjoy.

 

-MHC