Drinking the Bounty: White Onions

July 20, 2016July 10, 2018 ~ Kate ~ Leave a comment

Onions. You guys, he made a cocktail with onions. AND IT WAS GOOD.

The only thought process to share on this one is that Chris knew he didn’t want to add sugar so he muddled a thin slice of onion straight into the lime juice. Aquavit brought some complementary flavors like caraway to the party and the whole thing ended up tasting a bit like biting into a tart green apple. After the first few sips, we actually decided it needed MORE onion so he smashed another slice with the side of the knife and added it as a garnish. The extra aroma added a nice sharpness to the sip.

This drink is magic. It’s alchemy. It’s alive! It’s delicious!

Awful pic because I was busy going “Wait, whaaaaaaaaaaa?”

The Gobsmacker (named for my reaction to how well this worked)

Juice of half a lime
2 oz Aquavit
Two thin slices of a fresh white onion (these were smallish CSA, not grocery store bohemeths)

Add ingredients to Collins glass, gently middle the onions into the line juice. Add Aquavit, top with ice and side. Garnish with reserved onion for added aroma.

Drinking the Bounty: Cucumber

July 11, 2016July 24, 2016 ~ Kate ~ Leave a comment

Commentary to follow

Cucumber #1

2 sprigs cilantro
2 medium slices of cucumber
2 oz mezcal (Del
3/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz maraschino

Muddle the cilantro, cucmber, and mezcal in the bottom of a shaker glass. Add lime juice, maraschino, ice. Shake well, double strain into a glass, and garnish with a thin slice of cucumber.

Cucumber #2

2 thin slices of cucumber
Leaves from one sprig of mint
2 oz Malfy Lemon Gin

Gently bruise the mint and cucumber by stirring it around the bottom of the glass. Add lemon gin, fill glass with crushed ice (and more gin if needed), and garnish with a mint spring and cucumber slice.

Drinking the Bounty: Parsley

July 3, 2016July 7, 2016 ~ Kate ~ Leave a comment

It’s not easy being greens. We are definitely in the green days of summer – this week’s CSA share was full of greens like chard and romaine and herbs like basil and parsley. I tend to think of parsley and cilantro as similar flavors, and things that are great as an accent but overpowering as anything more. That said, we decided that with the hot summer days well upon us, the refreshing and cooling flavors of parsley would be our herbal inspiration.

The overall inspiration was basically an alcoholic gremolata – a sauce that always sounds refreshing. Chris started with lemon juice and Tattersall Crema (similar to a curacao) for both sweetness and additional citrus flavor. His odd twist was a bar spoon of homemade amaretto to add a touch of nuttiness (thinking along the lines of a pesto). All of that was tossed into a cocktail shaker with two ounces of vodka, several sprigs of parsley, and ice then shaken and strained.

The resulting cocktail has a strong parsley aroma but a complex herbal and citrus flavor. The parsley actually lightens up the heavier citrus flavors, making it a light and refreshing cocktail with just a little depth from the amaretto. Definitely a summertime winner!

Being Green

1/2 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz Tattersall Orange Crema (or curacao)
1/4 oz amaretto
2 oz vodka
2-3 sprigs of parsley

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake well, double strain and serve neat with a parsley leaf garnish.