Here’s one that goes too far yet barely far enough:

- 2 parts barrel proof Kentucky-style rye
- 1 part barrel proof wheated bourbon
- 2 parts Antica vermouth
- 1.5 parts Demerara syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- approximately a half-dozen blueberries

Combine rye, bourbon, vermouth, syrup, 3-4 blueberries, and bitters in shaker. Shake vigorously over ice. Add 2-3 blueberries to coupe glass. Strain, serve up in coupe glass with blueberries.

The perfect Harleston/Lovely Assistant’s Hangover Cure.

This drink is an attempt to recreate from memory one of @huskrestaurant brunch cocktails we had back in 2018, which I affectionately dub the Harleston in a nod to the Manhattan cocktail this descends from as well as the Harleston Village neighborhood in Charleston I lived in once upon a time.

The primo ingredients pictured here were due to the fact my better half had a long, sleepless night and deserved only the best today.

A few comments: 1) this drink requires the high proof stuff to keep its balance, the blueberries are deceptively sweet once crushed up in your shaker, 2) I must stress using a wheated bourbon here if at all possible; the rye is the leading star here, with the bourbon mainly providing some auxiliary sweetness and body, and 3) I must stress using a Kentucky-style or Monongahela-style rye, as a Lawrenceburg-style rye will take this recipe in a very different direction. This is at heart a heavy brunch cocktail that can be called in for digestif/dessert duty.

While using Peerless Small Batch is ultra-overkill here, it brings soooo much to the party and is the beating heart of this drink. If I were aiming for a more reasonable substitute, I’d probably go with Old Forester 100 Proof Rye, although it won’t have quite the depth and evolution this version does. The Makers Mark Cask Strength is the perfect running mate for your rye here, buttressing it without competing with the rye’s starring role.

Image courtesy of Jon who also writes on Low Class & High Proof.

Low Class & High Proof

I learned how to make cocktails watching Danger 5