Episode 37: Audrey Saunders

Audrey Saunders has been one of the world’s most influential bartenders and bar owners for more than 25 years, at places including Blackbird and Bemelman’s Bar starting in the 1990s, followed by her pioneering New York City bar, Pegu Club. In this episode, Saunders makes her first-ever appearance on a podcast, sharing details behind her role in restoring the Tom & Jerry to prominence as a holiday drink; other favorite holiday cocktails; and what life has in store for her following Pegu Club’s permanent closure in 2020.

Tom & Jerry

Go old-school with this recipe by beating the batter with a whisk or mixer—or take Audrey Saunders’ recommendations from this episode, and use a food processor to speed things up.

Batter
6 eggs, separated
1 pound sugar
1 ounce aged rum
3 Tbsp. vanilla extract
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
2 dashes Angostura bitters

For each drink
6 oz. milk
1 oz. aged rum
1 oz. Cognac

Make the batter: In a bowl (or a food processor), beat the egg yolks until thin. While still beating, slowly add the sugar, rum, vanilla, spices, and bitters. Separately, beat the egg whites until stiff, and fold into the yolk mixture. Refrigerate the batter in a large container overnight.

To serve, heat the milk in a hot pot or a small saucepan until boiling. While the milk warms, pre-heat the serving cups, and use a whisk to recombine the batter. For each drink, add 2 oz. of batter, 1 oz. each of rum and cognac, then slowly top with boiling milk, whisking the drink until foamy and well-combined. Top with grated nutmeg.

Adapted by Audrey Saunders

Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe.