Throwback Thursday Recipe: Modern Medicine Cocktail

We've started this series to highlight recipes, crafts, and features from our previously published titles! This recipe is for the Modern Medicine cocktail from Twist by Jordan Hughes

With the holiday season upon us, make sure your dinner hosting skills are unmatched by upping your drink mixing game! This recipe is for the Modern Medicine Cocktail from Twist: Your Guide to Creating Inspired Craft Cocktails by Jordan Hughes.

“I first made this recipe while visiting a group of friends out of state, and I only had a small selection of liquor bottles I brought with me for making drinks for everyone. Since Whiskey Sours are easy and always a hit, I decided to go that direction in terms of recipe format, but still wanted to change it up slightly and make something that felt more unique.”

— Jordan Hughes

1 1⁄2 oz (45 ml) bourbon

1⁄2 oz (15 ml) Aperol

3⁄4 oz (22 ml) fresh lemon juice

1⁄2 oz (15 ml) Demerara Syrup

2 dashes of aromatic bitters

1⁄4 oz (8 ml) smoky scotch

Garnish: lemon twist

Combine the bourbon, Aperol, fresh lemon juice, Demerara Syrup syrup and bitters in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Carefully float the scotch over the top of the cocktail by slowly pouring it over the back of a bar spoon. Then, take a lemon twist and place it on the side of the rim of the glass.

Learn how to make a great, well-balanced and properly executed cocktail with this stunning resource and recipe book from award-winning spirits writer Jordan Hughes. In over 75 killer recipes, you'll master classics like the Martini and Old Fashioned, discover what makes these builds so timeless and how to use their tried-and-true specs to create your own riffs, twists and deliciously modern craft cocktails.

Shake up a perfect Margarita then experiment with the spicy carrot and mezcal Power-Up Technique. Read into the "bastardized" evolution of a classic Daiquiri, then go crazy with a Guava Daiquiri, served over crushed ice with a hint of absinthe. Enjoy the bubbly French 75 and new Pisco and passion fruit Peruvian 75, or the spirit-forward Manhattan and its unique spin the Nocturnal Burn, made with cacao tequila and chili liqueur. There's something for every palate in these pages! And with tons of information on stocking your home bar, making your own syrups and practicing proper technique, you'll unlock a whole new world of mixology and hone your bartending skills.

Jordan Hughes is the creator of the blog High-Proof Preacher, awarded Best Drinks Instagram by Saveur magazine in 2019. He has been featured in Forbes, Liquor.com and others and has partnered with brands such as Hendrick's, Patrón and Grey Goose. Jordan lives in Portland, Oregon.