Hola Arepa bartender Nate McLemore-Raczkowski is a lover of Girl Scout cookies — he may have eaten the entire test box of Caramel deLights before shooting the segment. He says that they key to each pairing is tocomplement the flavor of each cookie, not to mirror it.

The Shortbread cookies were paired with an Earl Grey tea syrup – think tea and crumpets! – and rye whiskey. The mild, sweet, buttery shortbread offsets the spicy heat of the rye, and the bitter tea and Frenet Branca notes perfectly… and this was my personal favorite pairing.

Recipe:

2 oz Bulleit Rye
½ oz Earl Grey Tea Syrup *
½ oz Fernet Branca
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

*To make the syrup: steep Earl Grey tea in 1 cup of hot water until ready; add 1 cup of granulated sugar, bring to a boil, and stir until dissolved.

Instructions:

Stir all ingredients over ice until chilled; strain and serve in a wine glass. Garnish with a slice of lemon peel, after expressing over the cocktail.

Hola Arepa started as a food truck, and is now one of the most popular restaurants and bars in south Minneapolis.

3501 Nicollet Ave. South
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 345-5583

http://holaarepa.com