The holidays may have not yet arrived, but already the crowds of Midtown tourists are thickening. Lantern's Keep, tucked in the back of the Iroquois Hotel in Times Square, provides an intimate refuge from the masses of guidebook-clutchers and/or visiting family members getting on your last sober nerve.
To usher in fall, head barman Theo Lieberman has introduced The Expat to the list, an autumnal cocktail that is the brainchild of fellow NYC bartender Lauren Schell (you can find her slinging drinks at Little Branch, Milk & Honey and Middle Branch). Made with bourbon (Lantern's Keep mixologists have a predilection for Elijah Craig 12-year-old or Buffalo Trace) The Expat, says Lieberman, "is a variation on a traditional bourbon shake, except it adds Angostura Bitters and mint, which really bring it together." Fresh lime juice and a dash of simple syrup elicit a smooth, slightly tart sweetness. Per Lieberman, "It's always the simple ones that are best."
Ingredients:
2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. fresh lime juice
3/4 oz. simple syrup
Mint
Angostura Bitters
Combine ingredients in a shaking tin with ice, shake vigorously and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a mint leaf and Angostura Bitters.