Crosscurrent

The Story Behind The Crosscurrent

Dick Bradsell might be best known for creating the Espresso Martini, but one of his creations that often goes overlooked is the Treacle, his riff on a Rum Old Fashioned that sees apple juice floated atop dark rum. At Sunken Harbor Club, chief cocktail officer Garret Richard is eager to bring the drink back into the cocktail canon. At the Brooklyn speakeasy, Richard has created a riff on Bradsell’s riff that currently serves as the bar’s house Old Fashioned.

The Crosscurrent — whose name references the Calvados and three types of rum flowing across one another in the build — is a boozy concoction delivering crisp apple and heavy molasses flavors. In swapping Calvados for apple juice, the sweetness in the drink takes a backseat, allowing the more tart orchard fruit flavors to shine alongside the bold rum. Sweetened with powdered Demerara sugar and balanced with housemade Abbott’s bitters, the Crosscurrent is ideal for a cozy night in.

If you’re feeling ambitious, Abbott’s bitters are time consuming, albeit not too challenging, to make from scratch, with the team at Sunken Harbor Club using a recipe developed by Darcy O’Neil of Art of Drink. However, if you’re in a pinch, Bitter Truth’s Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters will also do the trick.