58 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • SEPTEMBER 2020
MAIN DISH
THE BETTER MAN DISTILLING CO.
NEW AMERICAN CURE
The Better Man Distilling Co. won an award for its New American Cure cocktail.
By CJ ARLOTTA
A warm hot toddy can help kick a sore
throat once the cooler weather hits, but
sometimes a cocktail with a little more
spice is needed to kick the common cold.
That’s the word from The Better Man
Distilling Co., a craft distillery in Patchogue,
which touts the therapeutic
benefits of an award-winning fall cocktail
dubbed the New American Cure.
“This was the first cocktail I ever made
with our Equinox White Rye, which
actually just won a gold medal in the
Great American International Spirits
Competition,” says Abby Gruppuso,
head of operations at the distillery. “It’s
called the New American Cure and was
inspired by the ingredients traditionally
used in tea for a cold and sore throat
cure — honey and ginger.”
The New American Cure has nearly 10
ingredients, including Equinox White
Rye, fresh-squeezed apple juice, lemon
juice, pear brandy, vanilla ginger simple
syrup, honey mixed with water, ginger
liqueur, and a dash of Angostura bitters.
It’s garnished with fresh apple slices.
“The New American Cure is the
perfect combination of sweet, smoky,
and spicy,” Gruppuso says. “You get
sweetness from fresh fruit juices and
our house-made vanilla ginger syrup.
Spice comes in the form of ginger and
the natural rye spice of the Equinox.
The addition of the bitters rounds out
the cocktail, and the smoke from the rye
lingers on your palate after each sip.”
To concoct the cocktail, mix the honey
and water in a small bowl. Then add to a
shaker along with all other ingredients
and ice. Shake until chilled. Finally,
pour into a coupe glass and garnish
with dried pear slices.
“We served this cocktail at our Equinox
White Rye launch party last October,
and it was a huge hit,” she says. “People
love the White Rye in general because
it’s a product that’s specific to our distillery
and isn’t produced anywhere else,
so when people see how that special
spirit works in a cocktail they just flip
about it. You can expect to see the New
American Cure on our menu again this
coming fall.”
The Better Man Distilling Co. is located
at 161 River Ave. in Patchogue.
It can be reached at 631-708-7405 or
thebettermandistillingco.com
Over 60 Years of Reliable Cleaning, Storage, and Service
(516) 746-5500
224 Jericho Turnpike, Mineola
M-F: 9-6, Sat 9-5, Eves by Appointment
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