Caneflower

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With my recent move to Portland and consequent adjustment to a new work environment, new living situation and new selection of great bars and restaurants to explore, I’ve been a little lax on the new drink recipes.

Fortunately I have my cruel taskmasters at Boca Loca Cachaça to keep me toiling away, day and night, churning out recipe after recipe using their incredible product.

If you haven’t experienced Boca Loca yet, I urge you to give it a try as I firmly feel it is the finest cachaça available on the market today. The spirit is light and fresh, and free from a lot of the oiliness and heavy smoke you’ll find in other – sometimes inferior – cachaças available out there. There is grassiness, big stone fruit, some white pepper and a very light honey finish. Boca Loca is a beautiful product and it’s a pleasure to work with.

So for the spring I set about creating a series of cocktails that showcased the cachaça in a different way. This is my first entry.

Inspired in part by a gorgeous cocktail created by my good friend Gonçalo de Souza Monteiro, the Comte de Sureau, I turned the drink around and twisted the proportions to highlight the cachaça, and then finished the whole thing with a little lemon oil. It’s simple, petite, and a beautiful thing to sip on.

Caneflower Print Me

  • 1½ oz/45 ml cachaça
  • ¾ oz/22.5 ml Aperol
  • ½ oz/15 ml St. Germain elderflower liqueur
  1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass.
  2. Stir with cracked ice and strain into a small chilled cocktail coupe.
  3. Garnish with a generous twist of lemon.

Recipe printed courtesy of jeffreymorgenthaler.com

35 Replies to “Caneflower”

  • Max says:

    Hi Jeffrey,
    currently we are searching for the next cocktail to barrel-age and found this recipe.
    However, the caneflower not only tastes fantastic but also well rounded already by itself.
    Do you think there would be noticeable changes when barrel-ageing this drink or is it better to try a different cachaça-based drink?

  • I’m slowly expanding my home bar; I bought a bottle of Cachaça 51 this afternoon, and was looking for things to mix it with. I found the Caneflower, and here I am at just-before-midnight posting on its creator’s blog.

    I’ve got a soft spot for St. Germain, so this drink really hits the spot. I didn’t have Aperol or Campari on hand, so I used Select instead. Still seems delicious to me!

  • CJ says:

    Since Boca Loca seems to have gone the way of all mortal things, is there another cachaca you can recommend? I like Leblon quite a bit on its merits, but it doesn’t feel like the right flavor profile for this drink.

  • Sarah says:

    Who carries the Boca Loca?

  • Brodie says:

    Hey Jeff! Firstly, massive fan and eagerly waiting on some more post…. So it’s spring time, nearly summer here in Australia and so time for a new cocktail menu! One position on the menu that I have been trying to fill had been a strong spirit basd cocktail yet floral. Today I looked at a bottle of elderflower and remembered reading about this little bad boy. So, taking some inspiration I have played with the specs a little and incorporated a strawberry shrub that I made a couple of weeks ago. Boom!!!! So amazing. Thanks for the inspiration mate! The cachaca is the hero!!! The shrub makes things super intriguing…. Oh and of course I made your original with your original specs. What a drink!!!!

  • Alex Frane says:

    Obviously the man above me had a few Caneflowers before he wrote his comment.

  • Jeff Frane says:

    Uptown, Sellwood, pearl. 12th & hawyhorne

  • Klara says:

    Please, someone tell me where i can find Aperol in the Portland area. Got hooked on this drink in Europe this summer. Found a bottle in Hollywood on another trip. Need a source in Portland. Hope someone can help. It is an awesome drink and very impressive at gatherings

  • Chris says:

    Great drink Jeff!

    If you’re interested, I took a different spin on it (and a few others) when playing with Boca Loca:

    http://rookielibations.blogspot.com/2009/09/highlighting-flavors.html

    Cheers!

  • Mark says:

    Jeremy,
    As it happens, my wife had me make a cocktail from her Martha Stewart “Living” magazine that one of her minions came up with called the Gemini as follows:
    2 oz grapefruit juice
    1.5 oz St. Germain
    1 oz Vodka
    Top with Prosecco (which I did not have)

    It was ok. A little heavy on the grapefruit juice.

    I thought I could do better and since I just walked in the door with a bottle of Aperol I came up with this:

    1.5 oz grapefruit juice
    1.5 oz Gin
    .5 oz Aperol
    .25 oz St. Germain (it may have been a smidge more than that)

  • Jeremy says:

    As Aperol and St Germain have become two of my favorite liquers, I was wondering if anyone had other suggestions for combining the two in a cocktail.

  • Rhonda says:

    So happy to hear other cocktailians liking Boca Loca and better yet that you are all finding it! Jeff has created many a great Boca Loca cocktail for us so if in need of other ideas check out our website for a nice list including some other new drinks for spring. Also noteworthy is a complete list of how to tell a good cachaca from a bad one. Try it out with whatever cachaca you have in your bar and see how it fares.

  • Jeff Frane says:

    Pearl did, in fact, have Boca Loca, and it’s cheap. They did not have Aperol, but I had a bit left at home. The Boca Loca doesn’t taste anything at all like rum, which surprised me. In fact, it smells like St Germaine, which is to say it smells like lychee.

    The Caneflower(s), though, were as advertised. I do love a simple, tasty cocktail.

  • I’m disappointed to hear that my personal recommendation isn’t enough for you, Ciaran. But I’m willing to stake my (cough) fine reputation on the matter.

  • Ciaran says:

    Hmm, they need to send me some samples so I too can feel it is the finest cachaca on the market.

  • sylvan says:

    Frane,

    They do indeed have Boca Loca at Pearl, although it is not on their website. Picked up a bottle this afternoon.

    Sylvan

  • TJ says:

    Couldnt get my hands on a bottle of Boca Loca (cant wait to try it) so I improvised with LeBlon, dont know how much this altered the finished product though. I like the play between the Aperol and the St. Germain quite a bit… Delicious!

  • JD – Unfortunately Campari and Aperol are not substitutes for one another. You’re just going to have to get your hands on a bottle of Aperol, my friend.

  • JD says:

    Is Campari an acceptable substitute (for the Aperol) for those of us with less access to quality liquor?

  • Robin says:

    The Caneflower sounds lovely. I already love Boca Loca caipirinhas, but this sounds truly fresh and spring-y!

  • Kathryn says:

    Welcome to Portland. You were in my restaurant on Sunday having brunch. The business card is a classy touch.

  • Tiare says:

    Great recipe! i like every sinlge thing in it, but really irritating is that i cannot find Boca Loca here, i really do like cachaca so one way or another there`s got to be a way to find it sooner or later!

  • John Claude says:

    Wow, yeah, I’m out of it. Sugarcane. I am really surprised that name hasn’t been used yet.

  • Jeff Frane says:

    Now that you’re all Portland-y and everything . . . have you seen it on the shelf? I do see it on the OLCC list. Pearl? That’s where I found the Aperol.

  • Settle down, Frane. Boca Loca is really affordable – especially considering the quality. As for replenishing the Aperol, the good news there is that a little can go a long way.

  • Jeff Frane says:

    Curse you, Morgenthaler! Now I need to find not only a bottle of Boca Loca, but I have to replenish my bottle of Aperol. I’m going to need a second income thanks to you.

  • Matt – That’s terrific, I can’t wait to hear what you think about the drink.

  • rowley says:

    Jeffery ~ I haven’t bought a bottle of liquor since Christmas, but I’ve got all these. We’ve been working through the liquor cabinet(s) like mad. Once I shake off the grips of my current gin fizz obsession, the Caneflower is coming up.

  • Intoxicologist – Let me know what you think once you get your fingers on some Aperol!

    And John Claude – Yes, it’s the Caneflower. See above 😉

  • John Claude says:

    Did you give it a name yet?

  • As soon as I get my fingers on Aperol I’ll have to give this one a try. Love cachaca and St. Germain is among my favorites. Thanks for your take on the Boca Loca.

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