The Burn Ban

[roadrunnertwice]

So we recently learned how to make the Burnt Reynolds,* which is maybe the most legendary cocktail from Double Dragon over in Southeast... or, at least it's the one that we and a couple of our friends like the best. It's a smokey bourbon/lemon thing and is basically all I ever asked for from a cocktail. They open-sourced it a month or so into the pandemic.

One of the ingredients is a syrup made from equal parts** honey and strongly brewed lapsang souchong tea (you know, the one that smells like the fug from a wildfire), and since it seems diluted enough to probably go moldy eventually, I experimented with a couple other things to put it in, to make sure we can use it up in time while only drinking a normal amount of whiskey. Thus, I present to you:

The Burn Ban

In a pint glass, mix:

• Lemon juice (a big glug, maybe 2 oz?)
• Lapsang honey syrup (a little glug, maybe half an ounce [aka a tablespoon]?)
• Coarse salt (a large pinch, to taste)
• Angostura bitters (a couple dashes)

Top with plain seltzer.

Sort of tastes like intriguingly smokey homemade gatorade.

Ruth DOES NOT like this, but on these 90° days I'm honestly pretty into it.

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* 1 oz lapsang honey syrup, .75 oz fresh lemon juice, 2 oz 100-proof bourbon; shake with ice, strain over a big cube.

** By weight.