The Inspiration
A Cocktail Napkin
Sometimes cocktail napkins are just napkins. And sometimes napkins are condensation-ringed, serendipitous callings from the cosmic unknown — inviting you to take inventory of your complicated, wonderful day. Archer knows the magic in all of it. So, as a muse to those moments, we invited our talented bar teams to create 12 Months of Cocktails inspired by our beloved napkin series.
The Recipe
Amidst an artful backdrop that celebrates that Virginia is indeed for lovers, Patrick Ocampo, lead bartender at Archer Hotel Tysons, shares this reflective, mood-setting February cocktail — Thinking of You Fondly. Its name is inspired by one of Archer's thought-provoking cocktail napkins.
A bit of history. In 1969, an advertising agency hired by the Virginia State Travel Service (now the Virginia Tourism Corporation) came up with the iconic slogan — Virginia is for lovers. The slogan has been inducted into the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame as one of the top 10 tourism marketing campaigns of all time. Archer commissioned D.C. artist, Nick Zimbro to create an original series of pieces for his Tysons hotel bar to pay homage to the iconic slogan.
Best advice: when a cocktail recipe calls for a float, it's calling for a finishing layer of a spirit or syrup for a final visual effect. Our experts tell us that the easiest technique is to hold a bar spoon bottom side up, creating a gentle slope just above the glass. Simply pour the float ingredient over the back of the spoon so it gently slides off the spoon and into the drink.
Ingredients
1/4 ounce Tito's vodka
1 ounce agave nectar
1 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce Malibu Pineapple Caribbean rum
1 1/2 ounces peach schnapps
1/2 ounce Empress 1908 gin
Directions
In a shaker, combine the vodka, agave nectar, lemon juice, lime juice, rum and peach schnapps. Shake and strain into a coupe glass. Float the gin — layering it on top of the drink by pouring it on the back of a bar spoon so it floats on top. (Here is how to float or layer a cocktail from our friends at Wine Enthusiast).
Cheers!
Make it at home or visit AKB at Archer Hotel Tysons to gather and toast. We will be offering Thinking of You Fondly all year long. See all of our 12 Months of Cocktails selections and follow along for a new recipe and a new reason to gather. Prefer a zero-proof cocktail? We've got you covered.
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