Sundial
Sundial by Shannon Tebay
Such a legendary creation, that contains so much generational provenance, deserves a toast equal in measure. It comes from another modern master, in the art of the cocktail, whose own story spans the generations and the history of legendary bars. Shannon Tebay, an Albuquerque, New Mexico native, studied to be a pastry chef at the French Culinary Institute. To make ends meet she got a job at a bar in New York’s East Village, named after a term applied to those during the American Prohibition who chose to drink, and thereby “keep company with death”. Fate and opportunity intervened, and over time and at a few different bars, she rose in the ranks to eventually become Head Bartender at Death & Company again, one of the best bars in the world, where she merged her culinary and pastry skills with those of the craft cocktail. That would have been enough, but her story continues, into days of future past.
Dialing this one in
Another famous bar awaited across the pond, the American Bar at the Savoy, twice awarded the World’s Best Bar. Opened in 1893, it remains the oldest surviving cocktail bar in Britain. Harry Craddock, arguably the most famous bartender of the Prohibition era, was The American Bar’s third Head Bartender and penned the Savoy Cocktail Book during his tenure in 1937, in which one will find the famed “Jabberwock” cocktail. Before Craddock, Ada Coleman, inventor of the “Hanky Panky”, held the role. She is also heralded as one of the most important bartenders in history, and certainly the most famous female bartender ever. All this cocktail bar lore and history is leading back to the present day, as Shannon Tebay assumes the role as the 13th Head Bartender at the American Bar when it reopens this year. She will be the first female to hold the esteemed position in 100 years, and the first American, ever. Any cocktail she creates is literally the stuff of legends, and this one in particular could not be more perfectly paired to celebrate this legendary collaboration. Cheers!
Double Dial
Sundial by Shannon Tebay
1 ¼ oz Cognac (Paul Beau VS)
¾ oz cherry brandy (Clear Creek)
¾ oz lemon
½ oz orgeat
1 tsp elderflower liqueur (Giffard)
½ tsp Luxardo Amaro Abano
1 egg white
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled coup. Express grapefruit and discard, or fashion a lemon wheel sundial.