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Cocktail History
The Weathered Axe is an autumn cocktail that was created by Danny Shapiro at Scofflaw in Chicago, Illinois. It’s served at the bar in multiple forms year-round but is traditionally made with bourbon, lemon, citrus, Cocchi Americano, ginger, and absinthe. What’s changed up at different times of the year is its garnish; it calls for fresh mint in the warm months and a sprig of singed rosemary when it’s cold.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Bourbon: This is a type of whiskey made in the United States with at least 51% corn, grains, malted barley, and water. We used Wild Turkey 101 Straight Bourbon Whiskey because it has a deep oaky whiskey flavor. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Spiritless Kentucky 74 Non-Alcoholic Bourbon Whiskey in place of the whiskey.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Combier L’Original Liqueur d’Orange: This is a liqueur made with bitter oranges, beets, spices, sugar, and alcohol. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Orange Sec in place of the orange liqueur.
Cocchi Americano: This is an apéritif made with wine, citrus, honey, spices, sugar, and alcohol. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Apéritif Dry in place of the Cocchi Americano.
Ginger Syrup: This is a sweetener made with ginger, white sugar, gum Arabic powder, and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s sous vide recipe.
Absinthe: This is a spirit made with anise, wormwood, fennel, botanicals, and alcohol. We used Great Lakes Distillery Amerique 1912 Absinthe Verte because it’s flavorful and made locally to us. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Absinthe in place of the absinthe.
Rosemary Sprig: This is an evergreen herb.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Atomizer: This is use to rinse the glass with an ingredient. We used the True Martini Atomizer.
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Tasting Notes
The Weathered Axe begins with aromas of absinthe and rosemary, features a citrus-forward taste that includes bourbon’s deep oakiness and spice, and evolves into a complex mix of Cocchi Americano and orange liqueur, all of which is followed by a noticeable ginger spice with a touch of bitterness in the aftertaste.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: We both adored this drink for its combination of bright flavors and cool scents and will definitely be mixing the Weathered Axe again, whether it’s with piney rosemary in the winter or cool mint in the summer.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Based on the recipe, I figured this would taste great, but I was a little unsure how the ingredients would come together. Once you get past a certain number of flavors, it can all start to turn ‘brown’ as Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails describes. I was wrong, however, and this cocktail ended up being absolutely delicious. The absinthe is noticeable in aroma only, and I felt that the rosemary added an extra savory note that complemented the rest of the recipe. Going into it, the lemon is pretty forward, but it mixes well with bourbon. And the combination of Cocchi Americano and orange liqueur creates nice, bright flavors. The ginger shows up largely on the way out and, when paired with the Cocchi Americano’s bitterness, is very pleasant. This recipe definitely takes the Whiskey Sour formula up several notches.”
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“The taste of this cocktail reminded me a lot of the Mountain Man, which I already loved after trying it for the first time earlier this year. I’m not sure if I like this one or the other better! I’m still leaning towards the Mountain Man because I really enjoyed the addition of maple syrup in that recipe, but the bourbon, citrus, and ginger is such a yummy combination in this one too. You’ll just have to try them to see which is your favorite!”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2024-10-03.
Weathered Axe
The Weathered Axe is an autumn cocktail that was created by Danny Shapiro at Scofflaw in Chicago, Illinois. It’s served at the bar in multiple forms year-round but is traditionally made with bourbon, lemon, citrus, Cocchi Americano, ginger, and absinthe. What’s changed up at different times of the year is its garnish; it calls for fresh mint in the warm months and a sprig of singed rosemary when it’s cold.
Ingredients
Method
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Add bourbon, lemon juice, Combier L'Original Liqueur d'Orange, Cocchi Americano, ginger syrup, and cubed ice to a shaker.
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Shake for 10-20 seconds.
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Strain into a lowball glass over fresh cracked ice.
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Spray with absinthe.
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Garnish with rosemary sprig.
