The Longhorn Lope: A Recipe For UT’s Unofficial Cocktail

By Alcalde Staff in Jan | Feb 2017, Special on January 20, 2017 at 12:14 pm | 3 Comments

To add a little garnish to the Alcalde interactive feature on six Longhorns leading the Texas booze boom, we asked author of The Essential New York Times Book of Cocktails Steve Reddicliffe, MA ’10, to concoct a burnt orange cocktail.

The Longhorn Lope: A Recipe For UT's Unofficial Cocktail

A great bourbon deserves a great cocktail, which is why the Longhorn Lope is built on the stilts of the Boulevardier. That drink, born in the 1920s, traditionally includes equal parts bourbon, sweet vermouth, and Campari. It’s a savory cocktail worth lingering over.

But to showcase the deeply flavored Garrison Brothers whiskey, the Lope goes bigger on the bourbon, and complements it with the orange-accented liqueur Amer dit Picon from the Golden Moon Distillery in Colorado and the slightly peppery Vermouth Royal from the La Quintinye line (feel free to use a vermouth of your choice; this is a cocktail that welcomes innovation and interpretation). And then, for a hint of Texas heat, a dash of Fire and Damnation bitters from Austin’s Bad Dog Bar Craft.

2 ounces Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey

1 ounce Golden Moon Amer
dit Picon

1 ounce La Quintinye Vermouth Royal (rouge)

1 dash Fire and Damnation bitters
from Black Dog Bar Craft

Twist of orange peel

Preparation: Stir all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice and then strain into a cocktail glass. Serve straight up or on the rocks—either way works. A twist of orange peel completes the picture—and the drink.

Read the Alcalde interactive Tastemakers feature on six Longhorns who are leading the Texas booze boom.

Tags: cocktail, Longhorn Lope, Taste Makers