Van Gogh’s Downfall
Ingredients
Combine the Absente, orgeat liqueur, lemon rind star anise and clove syrup, and fresh lemon juice in a shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a chilled rocks glass. Garnish with a star anise. Glass used : I usually serve the drink in a chilled Yarai Rocks Glass. You could also use a chilled coupe glass. How to make the Orgeat Liqueur : 500g whole raw almonds 12 (3L) cups of water, divided 1/2 cup (100g) of granulated sugar 1 oz (30ml) orange blossom water 100ml of vodka Soak the almonds in 1.5 l of water for an hour. Then, strain the water off of the almonds. Combine the remaining 1.5 l of water with the almonds and blend in a blender. Pour into a bowl and let sit for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Then, using a fine mesh sieve, strain the blended almonds into a bowl, keeping the almond milk. Discard the leftover almond paste. Add the sugar, orange blossom water, and vodka to the almond milk and stir to combine. How to make the Lemon Rind, Star Anise and Clove Syrup : 4 cups (1 L) of water 2 cups (400g) of granulated sugar 38g whole cloves 25g star anise Rind of 1 lemon Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Set pan aside and allow to cool. Once cool, use a fine mesh sieve to separate the leftover ingredients from the syrup.