Blue Corn

METHOD:

For the Cinnamon Molasses:
To make cinnamon molasses, add a hefty amount of cinnamon chips to a saucepan and fill the remainder of the pan with water and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil over a medium heat. Reduce the mixture, adding water gradually, and reducing again each time until you end up with a concentrated simply syrup. Strain the mixture and set it aside to cool over an ice bath.

For the Blue Corn Juice:
Combine the blue corn, water, apples, pineapple, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and star anise in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add enough sugar to lightly sweeten the mixture, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 4 hours. Strain the mixture and set it aside to cool over an ice bath.

To Assemble and Serve:
Combine the bourbon, lime juice, simple syrup, and Grand Marnier with ½ ounce of the cooled cinnamon molasses. Add 2 ounces of the prepared blue corn juice. Shake the mixture with ice until it is very cold, then strain it into a carafe. Take the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick and light them with a blow torch. Once they are alight, blow out the flame and dump the ash on a clean plate. Cover the ashes with an upside-down snifter. The aromas from the vanilla and cinnamon ash and smoke are trapped in the snifter. Let the glass steep with the smoke for about 2 minutes. Serve the smoke-infusing glass on the side of the carafe of cocktail and then pour the drink tableside from the carafe into the smoky glass.