How to Make an Au-Kee-Ta, the VMP April '16 Featured Cocktail

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA5vcuvne3c

INGREDIENTS

1.5 ounces Auchentoshan American Oak

1/2 ounce Amaretto

1/4 ounce Amaro Nonino

1/4 ounce Black Walnut Liqueur

3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice

PREPARATION

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and double strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a dried apricot.

NOTES

This cocktail is my way of honoring the many references to amaretto found on The Score, as well as Lauryn Hill's subsequent solo album. The Fugees are inspirational in their rare (for the time) combination of male and female voices and the way they challenged how rap music was both made and perceived. The first thing that comes to mind when you say single malt scotch isn't usually a refreshing, shaken cocktail. But, I thought it would be a playful way to channel the positivity The Fugees brought to a genre of music that often nodded to pain and hardship, as well as a great way to welcome the spring.

Auchentoshan is distilled in Glasgow. A city with a dark past not unlike the world you hear about on this album. At one time rife with gangs, the city has has since turned into one of the most celebrated art communities in the world. We raise a glass to all forms of art and this album is one of music's finest examples.

cocktail & words courtesy of Robin Nance, National Ambassador, Auchentoshan Single Malt Scotch