The apricot is one of the iconic symbols of Purim. You’ll often find it as a filling for hamantaschen, the holiday’s triangular cookies. And its inclusion is particularly apropos considering the holiday’s Persian roots: Apricots have a lengthy history in the region, being one of the earliest cultivated crops across Central Asia. Today, they’re the national fruit of Armenia, and a massive agricultural export from Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Iran, and though you’ll sometimes see them commercially available when fresh, their most common form, from antiquity to now, is dried. They are also infinitely more delicious and, as it turns out, nutritious when preserved. The added shelf stability of sun-dried delicacies is perhaps one of many reasons the apricot was a key product along Persian trade routes.
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Ingredients
- 2dashes Orange Bitters
- ¼oz Giffard Abricot Du Roussillon (Rothman and Winter make a delicious alternative)
- ¾-1oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth de Chambray
- 2 ½oz American Dry Gin (I’m partial to Plymouth, though if you’re a New York local consider trying some Dorothy Parker)
Preparation
- Step 1
Rinse a chilled coupe glass with your absinthe of choice, either with an atomizer or by swirling a thimble of absinthe with an ice cube until it clouds. Toss (or drink) any excess.
- Step 2
In a mixing glass, combine ingredients. Add ice and stir lovingly until the spirits are appropriately diluted. Strain into your glass.
- Step 3
Express a lemon peel over your drink and garnish. Sip, enjoy, and be merry.