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Cocktail History
The Lonesome Catacombs is a Sips From Scripts original cocktail that was created for a cocktail challenge. It was inspired by the music video for the song “Dearly Departed” by Shakey Graves, which depicts a couple’s self-destruction after a breakup. At one point, the artist’s ghost blends up a purple drink made of cough syrup and neon green liqueur and serves it to the grieving ex-boyfriend. To recreate this concoction’s color, we chose Empress 1908 Gin as the base, shook in flamed rosemary, Lillet Rosé, citrus juice, and simple syrup as a nod to the fire in which he ultimately meets his end, and added a touch of absinthe to help the delusion along.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Butterfly Pea Blossom Gin: This is a type of gin made with butterfly pea blossom, juniper berries, botanicals, and alcohol. We used Victoria Distillers Empress 1908 Gin because it has light and refreshing juniper taste, herbal black tea flavor, and beautiful purple hue. For a low-proof version of this drink, try butterfly pea blossom tea in place of the gin.
Lillet Rosé: This is an aromatized wine liqueur made in France with Grand Cru Bordeaux grapes, berries, grapefruit, orange blossoms, and water.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Simple Syrup: This is a sweetener made with white sugar and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s stovetop recipe.
Absinthe: This is a spirit made with anise, wormwood, fennel, botanicals, and alcohol. We used Great Lakes Distillery Amerique 1912 Absinthe Verte because it’s flavorful and made locally to us. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Absinthe in place of the absinthe.
Rosemary Sprig: This is an evergreen herb.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut citrus into slices or wheels. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Tasting Notes
The Lonesome Catacombs has plenty of woodsy, smoky aromas along with a slight lemon scent and a taste that combines rosemary with the butterfly pea flower gin and Lillet’s herbal, bitter note, all balanced with a tiny bit of tartness. The aftertaste then has a touch of absinthe’s presence left in the mouth accompanied by more of the herbal flavors.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: We were both aligned on how much we enjoyed this drink. The Lonesome Catacombs is an interesting take on a floral gin cocktail!
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This drink was inspired mostly by the purple color of the cough syrup cocktail that the ghost serves to one of the main characters, and I decided that burnt rosemary would emulate the fire dying in; meanwhile, Lillet Rosé lends some herbal bitterness, and lemon provides some balance. The photo was a lot of fun to take too since I felt that the ghostly aspect of the drink wouldn’t be complete without some fog, provided by the smoke machine I convinced Kendall to let us get.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I don’t know that I had tried a cocktail with such prominent rosemary flavor before Alex created this one, but he did a really great job of highlighting its unique herbal quality. What could be an overpowering ingredient ends up being the star of the show, while the other ingredients turn the drink into one that those with more underdeveloped palates like mine will especially enjoy. The Lonesome Catacombs is tart, tangy, and delicious, and we had a lot of fun creating it together!”
Recipe
Add gin, Lillet Rosé, lemon juice, simple syrup, absinthe, one rosemary sprig, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Double-strain into a cocktail glass.
Flame rosemary sprig and add to glass as garnish.
Ingredients
Directions
Add gin, Lillet Rosé, lemon juice, simple syrup, absinthe, one rosemary sprig, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Double-strain into a cocktail glass.
Flame rosemary sprig and add to glass as garnish.
Make It a Mocktail: Use butterfly pea blossom tea in place of the gin and Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Absinthe in place of the absinthe to try a low-proof version of this drink.
Shop Glassware & Tools
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More Gin Cocktails
If you like this gin-based cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Witch’s Brew Lemonade: A gin cocktail made with lemonade, blue curaçao, lemon juice, and a rosemary sprig
Trellis Gin & Tonic: A gin cocktail made with cucumber and rose pink tonic water, lime juice, and a rolled cucumber ribbon
Empress Corpse Reviver No. 2: A gin cocktail made with triple sec, Lillet Blanc, lemon juice, absinthe, and an orange twist
Rosemary Gin & Tonic: A gin cocktail made with grapefruit shrub, lime juice, grapefruit tonic water, grapefruit slices, and rosemary
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