I have to be honest: there's a lot involved in this drink. But - if ingredients are prepared in advanced, with a jigger and a cocktail shaker in hand - nothing is impossible through a blustery winter night in the city.
Ginger Syrup:
Cook loads of peeled, small pieces of ginger root in a simple syrup and add one, just one, allspice berry and one twist of orange peel. Reduce. Set aside.
Preserved Lemon Juice (+Cranberry syrup)
If you've been following my blog, you know that most of my whole spices and preserved/dried fruits are bought from Sahadi's in Brooklyn, http://www.sahadis.com/. (I love and have an "affair" with that store.) In a pot, boil water and add the preserved lemons, and cover. While boiling and lemons become soft, carefully pierce their heads with the tip of a paring knife to release the "brown blood" juice (you'll see). Boil a little more, and when water turns dark and the fruits are breaking, turn off heat, and press the lemons to disintegration with a slotted spoon. Let cool, then filter through. Go to your fridge and get the cranberry preserved you'd made from Thanksgiving and scoop out the syrup into a ramekin - and add in equal measure the homemade preserved lemon juice. Got it?
Fresh-squeezed orange juice (Thank you, folks, for not letting me explain this. And while you're at it, please don't forget to peel some lovely twists.)
Kopke L.B.V. 2007 Port Wine (Douro, Portugal)
Rum (I got mine from the Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands; go there if you wish for the same brand)
Whiskey (Scottish Royale Salute, from the Middle Ages)
Seltzer (Go buy one from Duane Reade; I'm not going to stretch it)
READY BARTENDER?
Fill shaker with ice, pour one jig of Port, one jig half-and-half of rum and and whiskey, one jig a third each of ginger syrup-lemon juice+-orange juice, cover and shake like a spray paint (if you wish, like a graffiti artist from Bushwick.) Did I mention you must've already purchased or have, perhaps, received as gift, a set of Victorian brass-rimmed coupé glass? (See inset) Well, that's really the point of this drink : Gothic! Pour the "blood" in the "chalice," pour the fizz, stimulate with an orange twist, and grate over the nutmeg nut - before you pray (I mean, drink). Silence, please.
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