For this year’s Artini event, hosted by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Ardeo + Bardeo mixologist Sam Haltiwanger created the Handle Bar cocktail, a crisp drink inspired by Jane Hammond’s 1996 painting “Hand Held.”
The colorful oil painting features a map of the United States, with hand imprints surrounding the country. To mimic the mix of color, hands, and images, Haltiwanger used a variety of ingredients that are popular in America, including rum and apple cider, to create the Handle Bar.
While the drink is simple to make and pleasantly sweet, creating the juice mixture requires a little more care. Read on for the recipe, and watch Haltiwanger make the cocktail in the following video.
The Handle Bar
1½ ounces Mount Gay Eclipse rum
1 ounce ginger syrup
½ ounce lime, apple cider, and brown sugar reduction
1 star anise
ice
Ingredients for juice mixture
2 parts lime juice
1 part apple cider
½ cup brown sugar
Bring all ingredients to a boil on stove, then simmer until reduced by half.
Ingredients for ginger syrup
Liter of simple syrup
½ cup fresh ginger
¼ whole habanero pepper (Note: Use extra caution when handling pepper)
Directions:
Pour the ginger syrup and juice reduction into a ice-filled shaker. Add the rum. Shake well. Pour the mixture into a glass with ice. Garnish with a star anise.
