The Annex Cocktail Lounge is the home of what co-owner and chief spirits officer Nick Williams, refers to as the ‘Concept Cocktail’ and he’s created a tailor-made libation for Flagstaff’s Lunar Legacy.
“I created the Earthrise Cocktail somewhat inspired by the David Bowie song Space Oddity,” said Williams. “I thought of the actual perspective of the astronauts looking back on earth from the moon.”
The original Earthrise photograph was taken by astronaut Bill Anders in 1968, during the Apollo 8 mission. In Williams’s cocktail, the iconic image comes to life in the form of a rocks glass.
A custom sphere of ice made from frozen Butterfly Flower Tea floats in the middle of this traditional drink, like our distant blue dot of a planet surrounded by darkness.
“It’s actually a pretty simple cocktail,” explains Williams. “It’s basically a riff on a martini with Aviation Gin out of Oregon.”
This isn’t just any gin. This is bacon washed gin brewed by Williams himself.
“The first thing they ate in space was bacon,” Williams says “So I wanted to incorporate that into it.”
The Aviation Gin is paired with Cocchi Americano Aperitivo, an Italian aperitif wine with a vermouth like tang.
“Cocchi Americano roughly translates to ‘cocky American,’ explains Williams. “ That seems rather appropriate in order to get to the moon in 1968.”
Williams mixes the ingredients in a cocktail shaker over his shoulder and pours the milky contents over the ice ball. The drink is only finished after a lemon garnish has been placed on the rim.
This special edition cocktail is a work of art that will make your Instagram followers jealous and your taste buds happy. In case you’re wondering, yes it does taste like bacon.