“Rock Skis”: A Craft Cocktail You Can Make at Home

We asked Vermont Bartender of the Year Emily Morton to create a special craft cocktail using the best flavors of summertime in Vermont—all in a format the average recreational mixologist could whip up at home. Here’s what she came up with.

Rock Skis

Rock Skis (recipe by Emily Morton)

2     oz your favorite VT gin (Snowdrop & Wild Hart are my faves)

1     oz fresh lemon juice

.75 oz berry syrup* (we use blackberry)

2     sprigs fresh thyme

At Deli 126, where Morton is bar manager, the menu features a rich array of “Temperance” cocktails—drinks packed with all of the flavor and complexity of the bar’s alcoholic beverages, without the booze. The idea? To offer those who choose not to drink—or anyone who wants to pace themselves responsibly—a compelling tasting experience in the same exciting social setting as those who do. Here’s her “Temperance” variation of Rock Skis:

For your Temperance Driver:

1.5   oz fresh lemon juice

1      oz berry syrup* (we use blackberry)

1     sprig fresh thyme for garnish

1     lemon wheel for garnish

Muddle the berry syrup and thyme in a shaker tin. Add the gin (if applicable) and lemon juice, add ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain over a large ice cube in a rocks glass, top with soda water, and garnish with a thyme sprig stuck through a lemon wheel.

*To make the berry syrup: pour 1 cup of white sugar over .5 lb of frozen berries. Mix them together, and let the mixture sit overnight, stirring if you can. Add boiling water a few tablespoons at a time to help melt the sugar. Stir the mixture through a mesh strainer. Add boiling water until the syrup is the viscosity of orange juice.

Featured Photo Caption: Try a “Rock Skis” this summer, created by Vermont Bartender of the Year Emily Morton. Photo by Abagael Giles