Last fall, Ryan Latorre opened The Barley Vine Railroad Co. in Orangeville, Ont. with the the idea of serving up locally grown produce in his 60-seat restaurant and, where possible, locally brewed libations in his 35-seat bar. Luckily for him, Pommies Dry Cider, which is produced in nearby Caledon, not only fit the bill, but wowed Latorre's taste buds. "It's like an apple-rhubarb pie," he says,"a little tart, a little sweet." Inspired, he concocted a series of Pommies-based cocktails, the most popular of which includes rhubarb-infused vodka (to make it, dice a whole stick of in-season rhubarb into half-inch pieces, place in a lidded jar with 26 ounces of vodka and let sit for two days). "It's a hit," says Latorre. "I serve a great many each day."
Ingredients
1 oz rhubarb-infused vodka
0.75 oz rhubarb-vanilla syrup (available in specialty stores where bitters are sold)
0.75 oz lime juice
7 oz Pommies Dry Cider
Method
To make the cocktail, layer the ingredients in the order listed in a 16-ounce cocktail glass filled with ice and garnish with a piece of poached rhubarb and a maraschino cherry.