Forest's Edge Cocktail from the Shaker and Spoon Speakeasy Episode 2 Box
- Apr 3
- 3 min read
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
The Cocktail Recipe from Shaker & Spoon
Source: Shaker & Spoon Brochure
A long hike is a great way to commune with nature — while catching up on your favorite podcast! For a meta mosey-around, tune into Sother Teague on The Speakeasy as you enter the wild lands that have offered some choice bits to flavor his rye old fashioned. Wishing to keep your foraging session unpsychedelic? Fear not — the mushroom tea in this syrup's build is brewed from umami‑ful shiitakes, joined by rich molasses. When darkness falls on this mix, illuminate your way home to cocktail bliss with a flashy flame. It's all good in these woods!
INGREDIENTS
2 oz rye whiskey
1 tsp molasses‑shroom syrup
2 dashes (not drops) almond‑infused orange bitters
1 spritz orange oil
• serves 1 cocktail •
METHOD
Add the rye, syrup, and bitters to a dry mixing glass. Fill the glass with ice and use a bar spoon to stir until the mixing glass feels ice‑cold (20–40 seconds, depending on ice size).
Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
For the aromatic finishing touch: Hold a lit match a few inches away from the drink (pointed up, so the flame doesn't burn down toward your fingers too quickly!). Hold the orange oil spritzer about 2 inches above the match, then spray the oil into the flame (it will ignite in a quick flash).
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
How We Feel About the Cocktail
Our Experience with the Forest’s Edge Cocktail
There’s something undeniably intriguing about a cocktail built around shiitake‑mushroom syrup and molasses — a drink that leans fully into the woods and asks you to follow. Forest’s Edge certainly delivers on that promise. It’s earthy, moody, and unapologetically spirit‑forward, the kind of cocktail that feels like stepping off the trail and into deeper, darker timber. But as we sipped our way through it, we found ourselves wrestling with its intensity more than settling into it.
Nose
On the nose, the cocktail opens with sweet molasses — that dark, sticky richness rising first — followed by subtle undertones of coffee. The orange oil spritz adds a bright, aromatic lift, especially when ignited over a match. That burnt‑citrus moment is honestly the highlight of the entire build: warm, fragrant, and fleeting, but it gives the drink a glow it desperately needs.
Palate
The palate shifts dramatically. What begins sweet on the nose becomes earthy, herbal, and intensely spirit‑forward once it hits the tongue. The rye dominates, bringing its signature spice, but instead of balancing the cocktail, it amplifies the bitterness. The molasses‑shroom syrup adds depth, but that depth leans into forest floor earthiness rather than warmth or sweetness. The result is a drink that feels bold but not particularly inviting.
Finish
The finish is where the cocktail lingers — and not in a way that worked for us. Leathery notes appear, followed by a persistent bitterness that settles on the palate long after the sip is gone. There’s even a hint of black licorice, that sharp, slightly medicinal aftertaste that tends to divide people. For us, it tipped the drink from “interesting” to “challenging.”
Overall Impression
We appreciate a spirit‑forward cocktail — that’s never the issue. But in Forest’s Edge, the combination of bitterness + earthiness creates a finish that’s simply too heavy and lingering for our taste. The technique of spritzing orange oil through a flame is genuinely beautiful and adds a much‑needed aromatic brightness, but it isn’t enough to counterbalance the cocktail’s darker, more brooding elements.
In the end, Forest’s Edge is a fascinating concept with a dramatic presentation, but not one that resonated with us. It’s a walk in the woods that left us wishing for a little more light.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY
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