Secret Sauce 04 - Bangy

Vacationers’ Exotic Mushroom Amaro

As someone who has never been capable of following a strict recipe, I tend to lean into an intuitive process with most food and beverage. There’s nothing quite as exhilarating as impulsively adding an extra pinch of herbs or spices in the heat of the moment, and this playful take on an Amaro is no exception. We shall call this a recipe, but it is more-so a suggestion, as the best Amari come from within. Therefore I urge whomever decides to embark on the path of aromatized spirits to follow their heart, soul, and intuition.

Some notes:

I make my mushroom tincture separately, as I tend to think it's best to test the potency before adding to an entire batch of spirit. If you decide to sub in a different type of mushroom, I doubt it is quite as important. For a psychotropic mushroom tincture, I recommend soaking mushrooms in everclear for 7 days and assessing the flavor and potency before adding to amaro at your discretion.

For the other ingredients, remember that DRIED is superior to fresh. In the past I have made the mistake of thinking fresh herbs would create a better flavor, but the aromatics are better absorbed into spirits when there is no water to create a barrier between the aromatizers and the liquid being aromatized :)

CARAMELIZED SUGAR! What a pain in the ass to make, but the caramelization is transformative when it comes to seasoning a rich and flavorful spirit. Timing is everything here, so if you over-do it just DUMP it and start over. I would love to give you a recipe, but I found a link online that will do a far better job than I can, so here you go! 

Ingredients

Everclear or highest proof neutral grain spirit you can get
Granulated sugar

suggestions (DRIED DRIED DRIED!):

Citrus:
lemon peel
grapefruit peel
orange peel
rosehips
buddhas hand

Fungi:
magic mushroom
Reishi mushroom
porcini mushroom
shitaake mushroom
lion's mane mushroom

Bitter/Root:
Pleurisy root
Hydrangea root
Licorice root
Wormwood
Rhodiola
Ashwagandha
Siberian Ginseng
Burdock
Toasted Birch
Gentian Root

Herb:
Yerba Santa
Makrut lime leaves
Cardamom Pods
Mint
Rosemary
Lemongrass
Fenugreek
Mugwort
Calendula
Bee Balm

Offbeat:
Food-grade wood chips
Smelt
Charcoal
Coffee beans
Prosciutto
Hemp seeds
..whatever the f*** you want..

Take your chosen mixture of dried ingredients and blend with a mortar and pestle. Put into a large jar and cover completely with everclear. Hide in a dark place, preferably a dj booth, and check in 1 month. Aromatics and flavor should be present.

Take caramelized sugar shards (dark caramelization is preferred) and heat amaro over medium-low heat in a saucepan until sugar dissolves into spirit. Immediately remove from heat and keep stirring for a minute or so. After cooling, taste and make an educated decision about the aromatics — leave longer? Add more of something? Remove completely and add a couple completely different things? Brighten with a simple syrup of fresh mint or lemon zest? The choice is yours! Adjust as needed, maybe age a bit longer, and eventually strain through cheesecloth no less than 3 times and bottle. The longer it bottle-ages the smoother and more integrated the flavors become.

Now drink up and be merry!