Gollum Juice

For the Gollum Juice: 1 large ginger root Two lemons Honey Small handful of whole cloves Peel the ginger and cube it. Put it all in a large pot of water and get it boiling. Boil gently until the water is a deep brown- rather like, go figure, ginger beer. Halve the lemons, squeeze in the juice, and drop them in. Then add cloves and stir well. Allow to simmer for a few minutes. I usually stop here, because the idea is that you want just enough honey to make it palatable, not tasty. I will add honey individually as I make each serving. The cocktail below uses the Gollum Juice like this- without honey. Pull some aside to cool and let the rest simmer- your house will smell great! To store, let fully cool, double strain, and keep in a sealed container or bottle in the fridge for up to a week. For the cocktail: 2 oz cooled Gollum Juice (no honey) 2 oz aged dark rum 1 bar spoon Orgeat 2 bar spoons 2-1 honey syrup 2 dashes aromatic bitters 5 drops 8-1 saline 1 or 2 caramelized ginger sugar chip (process below) Dry shake all ingredients in a shaker just to combine (we don't want it to dilute- if this offends you, shake it briefly with a large ice chunk. It already has plenty of water from the Gollum Juice). Double strain into a double rocks glass with a large ice cube. Lay the chip on the ice. Enjoy! For the chip Cut a large flat piece of ginger and set cut-side up on a jigger. Sprinkle a good layer of sugar on the ginger, then torch until all melted and slightly browned. Wait until it stops bubbling, then 10 or so more seconds. Squeeze the ginger lightly around the edges to loosen, then carefully slide a knife under the sugar layer. Lay upside-down on a paper towel-lined plate until ready to garnish.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet