Cocktail of the week: Mere’s butter wash bourbon – recipe

Rich, dairy-infused bourbon, punchy chocolate liqueur, a drop of sugary sweetness and a dash of bitters: think hot chocolate for grownups, and perfect for a post-meal festive nip.

Butter wash bourbon

Serves 1

For the brown butter bourbon (enough for 5 servings)
17½g unsalted butter
200ml good bourbon – we use Old Forester

For the drink (per serve)
40ml brown butter bourbon (see above and method)
10ml dark chocolate liqueur – we use Mozart
5ml standard 1:1 sugar syrup, ideally one made with brown sugar
1 dash Angostura bitters

First make the brown butter bourbon. Put the butter in a small pan over a medium-low heat until it starts to bubble, remove from the heat, pour in the bourbon and stir to combine. Refrigerate, and within a couple of hours the butter solids will separate and set at the top (which makes them easy to remove, ready to use again). Strain the liquid into a clean jar or bottle, and store in the fridge for up to seven days.

To make the drink, pour the brown butter bourbon in a rocks glass over ice, add the chocolate liquor, sugar syrup and Angostura bitters, stir gently for 30 seconds, and serve.