These days, it’s not uncommon to find cocktail menus featuring ingredients from far-flung places. The bins and jars that line the shelves of the local grocers’ bulk aisle are filled with items ranging from dehydrated fruits and tea leaves, to all sorts of nuts and spices. These ingredients suddenly proliferated within the cocktail scene everywhere. While they often originated from places as far away as the ones only found in the back half of your dusty atlas, these ingredients made your palate and your local cocktail scene more sophisticated.

What remains far more uncommon, however, are drink and bite pairings that draw flavors from one another and are intended to be enjoyed together. For most, the challenge of prep, execution during service, and spoilage is a tall order.

So what does a bar execute for such moments without overly taxing the kitchen and prep, or the barkeeps during service? What do you serve that’s shelf-stable, regionally representative and not store-bought?

Ladino’s Tel Aviv born and raised chef-owner Berty Richter took no longer than a 30-second spitballing session to decide to present this year’s Brandy Alexander with a genius pairing…a house-made apricot ratluk.

Known in Serbian as ratluk, or Turkish Delight in English, this gelatinous sweet is served along morning and afternoon coffee across an entire region once referred to as the Near East, a term coined in the 19th century when Westerners divided the “Orient” into three parts: the Far East, the Middle East, and the Near East. The Near East covers the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire, the same region that Kinsman Rakia and Ladino are rooted in.

Together, Ladino’s pastry chef Jess Salazar and barkeep Steven Richoff executed the perfect pairing of flavors and ingredients seeped in the region’s rich culinary and cultural history. Steven’s cocktail prominently features Kinsman Apricot Rakia, while chef Jess made an apricot jam to fold into her perfectly constructed sweet.

Steven’s house-made spiced chocolate syrup and Amaro Nardini, a grappa based amaro known for a subtle licorice note, and dark chocolate shavings complete the Alexander’s Pride’s build.

The modern Mediterranean grill house in The Pearl outdid the ask of a dessert moment, with a final product being a perfect pairing coming together with joint efforts from the front and back of the house.

This Kinsman Brandy Alexander Tour pairing continues Ladino’s tradition of high-quality executions, and is a must stop for every serious imbiber. Visit now through NYE and savor an Alexander’s Pride with a side of Turkish Delight!