THE RETURN - Eat At Salt And Charm

I’ve already introduced you guys to the lovely Shannon… and she’s back again to share one of the early 9 Bakery + Lounge original cocktails created by Jason Sargis. This was a guest favorite (and one of mine, too!)

You can still find Shannon around downtown Wilmington bar-tending here and there. She’s the best!

Allow me to introduce you to our cast of characters…

Pull the leaves off of 3 rosemary sprigs and place in a pint glass.

Squeeze the limes.

Muddle, muddle, muddle…

Add some ice – try not to be as messy as Shannon. I kid… throw the ice everywhere. It makes everything more fun.

Add some Gin… holla!

And then the St. Germain, an elderflower liqueur. (This is such a wonderful addition. I ADORE St. Germaine – and Shannon for introducing me to this amazing ingredient)

Add the pineapple juice, simple syrup and stir it up!

It’s already a pretty little thing, isn’t it?

Strain it into your serving glass. And finally it’s time for fire!! This is the fun part.

First, turn off the fan if you have one on. You don’t need anything getting in they way of burning things.

Light it up, baby! When you get a good flame going, blow it out and immediately place it in the drink and stir.

Garnish with a slice of lime and enjoy!

Seriously one of the best drinks… the burned rosemary adds just enough smokiness to take this drink over the top! And it’s so fun to make – we all like to impress our friends and this is the drink to do just that. So have fun, but don’t burn your house down!

WHAT YOU NEED

Makes 1 drink

4 large springs of fresh rosemary

A splash of pineapple juice

1 1/2 oz Gin (Shannon uses Citadelle)

1/2 oz St. Germaine (an elderflower liqueur)

1/2 lime

A splash of simple syrup

1 lighter (pyrotechnics!!)

WHAT YOU DO

1. Make simple syrup: dissolve sugar in water over medium heat in a ratio of 1:1 and then let cool.

2. Pull the rosemary leaves off of 3 of the sprigs and place in a pint glass.

3. Squeeze the limes into the glass.

4. Muddle, muddle, muddle…

5. Add some ice, the gin and St. Germaine.

6. Add the pineapple juice and the simple syrup.

7. Stir it all up!

8. Strain it into your serving glass.

9. Take the remaining rosemary sprig and light it on fire using your lighter. When you get a good flame going, blow it out and immediately place it in the drink and stir.

10. Garnish with a slice of lime and enjoy!

All photos Matthew Ray.