From Sparrow’s cocktail list, the Last Light is a Cognac-based sour built around an unlikely co-star, Alpine hay liqueur, perfect for golden hour ($16).
About Last Light
At golden hour, before the candles take over, there is a cocktail that belongs to that exact moment. The Last Light is a Cognac-based sour built around an unlikely co-star, Alpeggio Hay Liqueur, a small-batch Italian liqueur made from dried Alpine meadow hay. It sounds unusual. It drinks beautifully. Made in northern Italy from actual dried Alpine hay, the same botanicals that give mountain-pasture cheeses their character, Alpeggio is earthy, faintly floral, and gently sweet. It is rare on American cocktail menus and transforms this drink from a standard sour into something entirely its own.
The Recipe
- 1.5 oz VS Cognac
- 0.5 oz Alpeggio Hay Liqueur
- 0.5 oz Honey Syrup
- 0.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 2 dashes Tobacco Bitters
Shake with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe. Finish with a single strip of lemon peel, expressed and discarded. Sparrow pours Bache VS Cognac, a French house founded in 1905, originally by Norwegian immigrants. Young Cognac has a lively stone-fruit and floral quality that integrates into citrus-driven cocktails without the heaviness of older expressions. The tobacco bitters add an earthy, slightly smoky depth that grounds the brighter elements and gives the finish genuine length.
Tasting Notes
Bright and honeyed on the nose. The first sip is fresh citrus and honey, followed by a wave of something unexpected, dry, herbaceous, faintly grassy from the hay liqueur. The Cognac adds warmth and fruit. The tobacco bitters close the cocktail with a grounded, earthy finish. Delicate, but memorably complex.
What to Pair It With
The Last Light’s bright, herbaceous character pairs naturally with Sparrow’s lighter dishes from the dinner menu, the Wild Alaskan Halibut, the Pacific Black Cod, the Burrata Avocado, and Fresh Oysters when in season. It is also the ideal cocktail to start the evening with on the patio before dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Last Light made with?
The Last Light is a Cognac sour with VS Cognac, Alpeggio Alpine hay liqueur, honey syrup, fresh lemon, and tobacco bitters, shaken and served up in a coupe.
How much is the Last Light at Sparrow?
It is $16 at Sparrow in Kirkland’s Juanita neighborhood on the Eastside.
Find it on the Sparrow beverages menu near the Black Manhattan and the Fancy Feather. We are in Kirkland on the Eastside, so reserve a table and come taste it.