Carrot Root Liqueur, Apologue [Strapped]

• Botanical carrot liqueur produced by Apologue in Thornton, Illinois • Botanical maceration in non-GMO neutral grain spirit includes fresh carrot, dried carrot, ginger, cinnamon, cinchona, mint, fresh lemon juice, and fresh and dried orange peel • Carrot sourced primarily from Nichols Farm & Orchard, a certified sustainable 300-acre family farm in Marengo, Ilinois • Sweetened with organic cane sugar • A deft balancing act between crisp sweetness and savory earthiness, the nose opens with an enticingly pure note of freshly dug carrot. Ginger and cinnamon spice provide a familiar frame on the palate, which lifts on currents of citrus and fresh mint. Cinchona grounds the finish, which is satisfyingly long and expertly textured. • 25% ABV One of the most fundamentally familiar of all flavors (it’s worth noting that in 1928, fledgling baby food venture Gerbers’s selected carrot puree as one of its five core products), the humble carrot root scores a dazzling send-up in this versatile liqueur from Apologue. Refreshing but savory, warming but bright, it’s balanced enough to qualify as a comforting sipper—and low-ABV refreshment with tonic or in a Spritz follows intuitively—but it’s also a sophisticated addition to stirred and shaken cocktails, leaning confectionary or vegetal depending on preference; serious craft bartenders take note!