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Masonic cocktails: That's the Spirit!
Four bartenders on crafting the perfect Fraternal drink
By Ian A. Stewart
Masons have been known to get together over a glass. But what exactly should be in that glass? That’s the question we put to a jigger’s worth of Mason bartenders, each of whom was asked to dream up the perfect cocktail to share with their brothers.
The Plum & The Lime
Two Masonic working tools are reinterpreted thanks to Garrett Burrow, master of Golden Rule No. 479 and the man behind the rail at Carry Nation’s in Los Gatos. The plumb is represented by Pimm’s No. 1, the gin-based liqueur with a slightly plummy flavor. The line? Well, you get the idea. As for the cherry brandy float, that’s just for fun.
Ingredients:
¾ oz fresh lime juice
1 oz Pimm’s No. 1
1 oz Plymouth dry gin
¼ oz simple syrup
Float of cherry brandy
Instructions:
Combine first four ingredients in a martini shaker and pour over crushed ice into a tall glass. Add float for color.
The Hive
This booze-free mocktail is already a favorite of Cutter Pederson, a member of Alameda’s Island City No. 215 and a veteran drink-slinger at Third Rail in San Francisco’s Dogpatch. The honey brings to mind the beehive, a symbol of industry within Freemasonry. So get to work: The honeyand- ginger syrup needs to be made in advance.
For syrup:
Bring a 1-to-1 ratio of honey and water to a boil, then simmer 1 oz fresh peeled ginger in the pot for 20 minutes until the liquid reduces. Remove ginger.
Ingredients:
1 oz honey-ginger syrup
1 oz fresh lime juice
Instructions:
Pour ingredients over crushed ice and fill with soda water.
Black Ball & Manhattan
The first time Pederson approached Island City No. 215, a clerical mix-up led to his being voted down, represented by the black ball. Things were eventually sorted out, and today Pederson is a proud member in good standing. Here, his homage to the Masonic election custom gets its trademark hue by adding a touch of powdered charcoal to the ice tray.
Ingredients:
2 dashes Angostura bitters
½ oz Cynar (or similar bitter amaro)
2 oz Overholt rye whiskey
½ oz Punt e Mes sweet vermouth
Instructions:
Stir ingredients in a mixing glass and pour over a spherical ice ball made black with 1 tsp charcoal powder.
Tiler Collins
Here, Benjamin Khoshaba, junior steward of John D. Spreckels No. 657 in San Diego and bartender for the Hills Pub (and previously for the late Gaslamp Quarter haunt Werewolf), pays homage to Freemasonry’s club bouncer.
Ingredients:
3 mint leaves
ó oz simple syrup
2 oz Aviation gin
1 oz fresh‑ lemon juice
Instructions:
Muddle the mint leaves with the syrup in the bottom of a Collins glass. Add the gin and lemon juice and some crushed ice, and fill to the top with soda. Garnish liberally.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT:
Russ Hennings/Moonnbeam Studios
More from this issue:
An Absolute Corker
The inside story behind one of the most curious pseudo-Masonic rituals around.
The Toastmasters: The Salonnier
At Club 50, Phillipe Milgrom gathers Masons for a taste of the good life.