Sage and Golden Beet Cocktail

1 1/2 oz Stone Barn Hard Eight Unaged Rye Whiskey
*1 oz Sage and Golden Beet Infused Simple Syrup
¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
Garnish with 1 chunk Golden Beet from syrup
Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker, shake and serve into chilled apertif glass

*To make the simple syrup requires a bit of prep, preferably a few days prior to your event. Roast the Golden Beets (1-2 medium sized). When they are cooked and cooled, peel the skin and chop into bite sized chunks. Simple syrup is made by dissolving equal parts sugar into hot water, however, beets add quite a bit of sugar on their own, so lessen the sugar by ¼. So, if you’re using 2 cups of water, use 1 ½ cups sugar, etc. Add the cooled, cut roasted beets to the dissolved sugar, then add 2 sprigs (leaves attached to the twigs still – or at least 12 fresh leaves) fresh sage. Store in the refrigerator. The beets will bleed their color into the syrup. If you can make the syrup 3-4 days before you need it, it will be a lovely shade of orange. If you serve within 1-2 days, it might look a bit like urine. You can use red beets as well, but I found the magenta color more off-putting in a cocktail. Strain the syrup through a cheese cloth, saving the sugared beet chunks for garnish. I know this cocktail is a lot of work, but it is well worth it!