Ever drop a handful of roasted peanuts into an ice-cold Coca-Cola? The sweet and salty pairing, rare above the Mason-Dixon line and vanishing below, conjures vivid memories from Southerners of a certain age.
Now, the folks at Birmingham, Alabama, gastropub Ollie Irene have reinvented the childhood treat for the cocktail crowd with the Tallulah, a drink made with Coca-Cola, peanut syrup, and a healthy pour of Jack Daniel’s. Named for co-owner Chris Newsome’s great-aunt Tallulah, who was a lifelong whiskey drinker, it is a smooth, nutty, and respectably boozy tribute to decades of gas-station tradition.
While the three-ingredient cocktail couldn’t be much easier to assemble, the peanut syrup—known to the savvy cocktailian as an orgeat—takes some time and effort to prepare. Make it ahead of time, and save it for company. As the weather warms, this unique libation with deep Southern roots will make for a refreshing conversation piece.