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The Pale Rider cocktail

By Nate Fabien, bartender at PinPoint restaurant
At PinPoint, we source everything as locally and sustainably as possible throughout the restaurant. In the kitchen, we recycle oyster shells with Ghost Fleet Oyster Co. and compost with the Wilmington Compost Co. At the bar, we work to reduce waste. For this cocktail, I like to use the juice as well as peels by making an oleo saccharum.
The cocktail recipe calls for Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, an orange liqueur by the French distillery Pierre Ferrand. I like it because it’s extra dry. This bottle can be found at some of the ABC stores in the Wilmington area. Substitutes include triple sec.
The Old Forester bourbon comes from the barrel-sharing program called “Downtown Brown,” which includes local restaurants and bars. It’s high alcohol (and nicknamed “Port City Vitamin Sea”), so it can handle rich ingredients in the oleo-saccharum.
Print Recipe
Course Drinks
Servings 1 drink

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ounce Old Forester Private Barrel (aka Port City Vitamin Sea, 129 proof)
  • ½ ounce Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao or any orange-flavored liqueur like triple sec
  • 2 ounces Lemon Orange Lavender Oleo-Saccharum, recipe below
  • 2 dashes Remedy Cocktail Company Unicorn Tears bitters.*
  • Lemon Orange Lavender Oleo-Saccharum
  • Yields 16 ounces

Oleo-Saccharum**

  • 2 lemons,washed, peeled and juiced; reserve juice
  • 1 orange, washed, peeled and juiced; reserve juice
  • 3 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon dried lavender
  • 1 tablespoon loose black tea
  • 1 cup hot water

Instructions
 

To make the cocktail

  • Fill a shaker with ice and add all ingredients. Shake and strain over ice into rocks glass. Garnish with a twist or dried citrus slice. The cocktail can also be served straight up.

To make the oleo**

  • Oleo can be used in place of a syrup or in addition to it. I added the lemon juice to the oleo to save the bartenders the step of adding lemon juice to the cocktail per order.
  • Muddle the peels, sugar, tea and lavender until the citrus gives up its oils and the sugar is damp.
  • Cover and set in a warm spot for at least 2 hours; overnight is best. Stir occasionally.
  • Add the hot water and the reserved citrus juice.
  • Stir to dissolve remaining sugar, and pour mixture through a fine strainer.
  • Let cool before using in cocktails or in nonalcoholic drinks like a lemonade or iced tea.

Notes

* Unicorn Tears is a small batch floral aromatic bitters from the Holly Springs, North Carolina, Remedy Cocktail Co. and is available online from their website. Your favorite brand of bitters is a good substitute.
**Macerating citrus peels and sugar overnight extracts the oils in the skins, which gives the cocktail a fuller mouthfeel and little bitterness. The tannins in the black tea add to that. They both hold their own with the Port City Vitamin C. Loose tea and dried lavender can be bought in small portions at Cape Fear Spice Merchants, one block down from the restaurant.
This recipe was originally published in the Spring 2024 issue.
Photo by Nolan DeBerry
Keyword bourbon