Las Vegas Weekly

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Xania Woodman

Thu, Dec 10, 2009 (midnight)

Pollard says it was the history associated with this cocktail that inspired him to reinterpret it for the Domaine de Canton Bartender of the Year competition. “This classic cocktail, which surfaced roughly around the 1850s, was made famous by Jerry Thomas in his 1862 Bartender's Guide,” says Pollard. Taking first place in Las Vegas, Pollard will travel to St. Martin in February to compete for $10,000 in the finals.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Domaine De Canton

1 oz. Xanté Pear Liqueur

1 oz. egg whites

.75 oz. fresh lemon juice

drizzle of honey

2 dashes Angostura orange bitters

Method: Combine all ingredients except bitters and vigorously shake dry (without ice) to build your texture from the egg whites without over-dilution. Add ice, shake and double-strain into a champagne flute. Top with two dashes bitters.

Lemon rind and ginger-pepper-sugar garnish: Rim a champagne glass or any tall, narrow glass with a lemon, then dip into a mixture of sugar, grated ginger and cracked pepper and chill to create a hard crust (hence the drink’s name). Choose a lemon the same size as the width of the mouth of your glass in order to form a tight seal; the lemon shell will act as the rim from which you drink. Cut the ends off the lemon and with a bar spoon, hollow out the meat and pith. Then, gently press the shell down into the glass, but not too far to where it may fall in.