The Velvet Orchard — Cognac Oak, Ice and Fizz
What You’ll Need:
A Deer Jimmy’s® bottle aged with vodka (or young jenever) on cognac barrel chips. After aging: chilled soda water, a splash of pear or apple juice, optional lemon zest, ice, and a tall highball glass.
Step One: Age for Elegance
To build this cocktail, you start with patience. Fill your Deer Jimmy’s® bottle with a smooth vodka or a soft, malty genever and let it rest on cognac oak chips. Over the course of four to six weeks, the spirit takes on a pale gold tone and a new personality — richer, rounder, and tinged with subtle notes of dried fruit, soft spice and mellow oak. It doesn’t hit hard. It lingers gently.
Step Two: Build with Lightness
When your base is ready, pour a generous measure over ice into a highball glass. Add a short splash of pear or cloudy apple juice — just enough to echo the fruitiness of the wood. Top it slowly with chilled soda water. The bubbles will wake up the aroma and give the drink lift. If you want to bring out the citrus in the cognac oak, twist in a thin ribbon of lemon zest. But nothing too loud. This drink doesn’t shout. It hums.
Step Three: Let It Unfold
Take your time with that first sip. You’ll notice the oak first — soft, dry, slightly floral — followed by the crispness of the fizz and the quiet sweetness of orchard fruit. It’s refreshing, but not forgettable. The finish is clean and elegant, with a whisper of warmth that reminds you this isn’t just a summer spritz — this is something aged, something thoughtful.
Easy-Drinking, Deep-Rooted
The Velvet Orchard is perfect for slow afternoons, early evenings, or any moment where refreshment needs a little depth. It’s a cocktail for people who appreciate balance — where the spirit brings history, the bubbles bring brightness, and the drink lives somewhere in between. A light touch, aged to perfection.
