
Photos by Nicole Havers and Jorden Hutchison
Missed Part I? Catch up here, then read on.
Not even UVA’s pulsing music, purple lights and funky décor can compete with the story behind your first smoked cocktail of the night. Ask bartender Lauren Mote why it holds special significance – you’re guaranteed a crash course in history, a geographical orientation to the Scottish highlands and one hell of a science experiment.
Cocktail The Rhapsody
Bartender Lauren Mote
Tastes like… History soaked in a sharp, smart drink. Orange and juniper bitters, courtesy of Bittered Sling, round out the smoldering scotch, though it’ll take a few moments after that first silky sip for the underlying smoke to hit you. Don’t be fooled by The Rhapsody’s innocuous golden hue – there is rich, deep history here. The base, Ardbeg Ten Years Old, is the peatiest whisky of them all and distilled on the island of Islay, Scotland – but that’s not as far as Ardbeg travelled. Back in 2011, vials of the spirit were launched into space for the world’s coolest science experiment: testing the micro-gravity of whisky production. Just like its star ingredient, this cocktail doesn’t mess around.
What makes this cocktail magical? “There’s something so mysterious about this beautifully smoky Ardbeg whisky made in Islay. It’s pretty powerful to drink a spirit that you know has been there, a spirit that was first distilled in such an ancient place. It moves me to tears, thinking that what we do every day – people have been doing it for thousands of years before us. Whiskies instantly transport you back to a time and place.” – Lauren
Continue reading:
Christmas Cocktail Crawl IV: Smoke and Mirrors – Part II