This Cocktail Inspired by Chinese Medicine Is Infused With Pain-Relieving Herbs

Eccedentesiast cocktail
Photo: Tiger Fork
Total Time

5 minutes

Is it possible to reap the health benefits of herbs...from a cocktail? While not all experts would agree, Ian Fletcher, beverage director at Tiger Fork in Washington, D.C., argues that it is. “Alcohol, especially Chartreuse, Benedictine, and Amaro, has been used as a vessel for medicine for ages,” he says.

At Tiger Fork, Fletcher works with a Chinese medicine specialist to dream up concoctions that include ingredients purporting to soothe anxietyboost your immune system, and more. His latest creation, the Eccedentesiast (which means "one who smiles to hide suffering"), uses pain-relieving herbs like hong hua (aka, safflower, which promotes blood circulation), Chinese licorice (to detoxify), poppy leaf and devil’s claw (for pain relief), and St. John’s wort (to fight inflammation and depression).

These herbs get infused into whiskey and are then combined with Giffard Abricot Du Roussillon, club soda, and lemon. The result: What Fletcher calls an “herbal aspirin” that’s “light and refreshing but still in our wheelhouse of weird and funky.” The jury’s out on whether or not it’ll actually cure a headache (and if you drink too many, it'll surely *cause* one) but either way, it’s the perfect sip for spring and summer.

Tiger Fork, 922 N Street (Rear) NW, Blagden Alley, Washington DC 20001 Ph: 202-733-1152

The Eccedentesiast

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  • Prep Time
    5 minutes
  • Cook Time
  • Servings
    person

Ingredients

For The Eccedentesiast

  • 1 oz Rye Infusion (see recipe below)
  • 1 oz Giffard Abricot
  • 1/2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

For the rye infusion (makes 32 servings)

Instructions

Recipe Notes

For more healthy cocktail ideas, check out this surprising twist on a bloody Mary and this low-sugar floral cocktail

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