Weathered Axe

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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, with other grains, water, and yeast, which are distilled and then aged in new charred oak barrels to develop a rich, caramelized flavor.

Lemon Juice: This is the liquid extracted from the flesh of ripe lemons that has a sweet, tangy flavor and light yellow color.

Combier L’Original Liqueur d’Orange: This is a liqueur made in France with a blend of sweet and bitter orange peels, distilled alcohol, water, and sugar, which are blended and infused to develop a bright, citrusy flavor.

Cocchi Americano: This is a liqueur made in Italy with wine, a blend of herbs, spices, and citrus, distilled alcohol, water, and sugar, which are blended and infused to develop a light, bittersweet flavor.

Ginger Syrup: This is a sweetener made with ginger root, white sugar, and water, which are heated and infused into a syrup with a spicy, aromatic flavor.

Absinthe: This is a spirit made by distilling a neutral alcohol with wormwood, anise, fennel, and other botanicals to develop a strong, herbal flavor.

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. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I 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. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

Atomizer: This is use to rinse the glass with an ingredient. I used the True Martini Atomizer.

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Brown-ish golden color

• Aroma: Absinthe, rosemary, and whiskey

• Taste: Citrus-forward flavor paired with oaky and spicy bourbon and Cocchi Americano

• Finish: Noticeable ginger burn and anise

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. 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 the Weathered Axe 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.