As seen on our Top 5 Fall Cocktails, this drink has been a favorite for many years!
Gramercy Tavern in NYC makes a cocktail called a Grape Crush. It's apparently quite popular. They smash the grapes and mix them with lime juice and vodka. They describe it as the perfect use for Concord Grapes found at Farmer's Markets.
So, ok, we thought it might be fun to infuse our white rye whiskey, Bassett Town, with Concord grapes. Bartenders will tell you to always use the stems, seeds, and skins for more flavor when you infuse, so we did. We just dropped a couple of stems full of grapes into a Ziploc bag with a bottle of Bassett Town and put it in a container of water heated by a sous-vide cooker. We held the temp at 135 degrees F for 3 hours and then let the bag of grape-whiskey cool on the counter overnight before straining the grapes off and using.
Note: the whiskey-soaked grapes have an odd fibrous texture, but the whiskey tastes amazing!
Alternatively, you can pulverize the grapes in a blender, soak in the Bassett Town for a day or two, and then double strain. Quite delicious!
Concord Crush
2 oz Concord grape infused Bassett Town
1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
Shake on ice. Strain into coupe glass. Add ice and garnish with champagne grapes and a tiny dusting of fresh ground nutmeg.