Sage Sour

The holidays have been weird and a bit sad. Mostly I'm just pretending it's just any other day and going about my business. On Christmas Eve, I got together for Zoom cocktails with a longtime friend and her husband. We had a lot of laughs and tried a cocktail she suggested that she had seen on TV the night before. Thankfully she caught me while I was at the grocery store and told me to buy sage. That's not a fresh herb I usually keep on hand and I would not have wanted to miss out on this. I love a good sour and this inspires me to explore more simple syrups infused with herbs. My friend Catherine has made one with mint that was very nice. I think that would work well in this cocktail. I'm going to try some different variations on that and report back. This is a more sugary concoction than I usually go for with both the simple syrup and the maple syrup, but the sour aspect tempers it enough that it doesn't taste overly sweet to me. I did cut back a little on the maple syrup, but I'm going to post the original recipe.

First make the sage simple syrup 

Use a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water. I can never get through a whole cup before the syrup goes bad, so have started using only a half cup. 

    1/2 cup water 

    1/2 cup cane sugar 

    1/4 cup firmly packed sage leave

1. In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. 

2. Remove from the heat and let it all sit for about 30 minutes. 

3. Strain the liquids using a mesh strainer into a mason jar or another type of glass container with a tight fitting lid. Use the back of a spoon to press the liquid contents from the leaves. Discard the leaves. 

4. Cover the jar and put in the fridge to chill. 

 Shake the cocktail 

    1 1/2 oz bourbon or rye whiskey 

    1 1/2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice 

    1/2 oz sage simple syrup 

    1/2 oz good quality maple syrup 

1. Put all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake until cold. 

2. Pour into Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with a leaf of sage.

French Manahattan

 I hadn't ever had cognac before, so purchased a bottle of it to try a cocktail I came across. Since then, I've tasted a few different drinks with it and it will become one of my winter base liquors. It's warming and tasty on it's own or mixed with other ingredients. I believe the most common cocktail you'll find cognac in is a Sidecar. We tried one in our Covid Cocktail Club the other night. It's certainly a good standard to know how to make. I took the French Manhattan recipe from Drinking French (of course). I'm starting to lose track of the drinks I've tried, so you may see more posted. That way I can remember which ones I want to make again. I still have to look at recipes for most cocktails. I hope soon to at least have a handful I can make from memory. (I'm going to test myself and type the ingredients first before checking Drinking French for the recipe.) ((That didn't go well.))

If anyone has a favorite brand of cognac, do tell. I had no idea what I was doing so just picked a nice looking bottle.

French Manhattan

1 1/2 oz cognac

1  1/2 oz sweet vermouth

1/4 oz Grand Marnier or Cointreau 

1 dash orange or Angostura bitters

Cherry or orange peel to garnish

1. Put all contents except for garnish in a shaker full of ice. Shake and pour into a coupe glass. Add garnish.

Baked Mashed Potato Nests

 Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, without contest. Go do a running race or group ride in the morning, then hang out with family and eat a lot of vegetables. Perfect. This year was obviously different. I'm not tied to many traditions, so changing up the holidays doesn't upset me the way it does some people. The one lost tradition that did make me sad was not having 17 sides for my Thanksgiving meal. My cousin, Lori, and I pride ourselves in having ALL the vegetables, including white potatoes cooked at least two different ways. I did make mashed potatoes and to make myself feel better, I made quite a lot of them. I had planned to make mashed potato pancakes with the leftovers and top them with a mushroom gravy as I have in the past. But I was feeling a bit lazy and never made it to the grocery store to get mushrooms. So, instead, I baked the mashed potatoes which, surprisingly, I've never done in the past and then had some fun with the presentation. I turned them into nests! I am definitely making food nests again. (This is cute, right? Every once in a while I need to do a pandemic sanity check.)

There are lots of variations on baked mashed. I think it's a fairly flexible dish. This is the one I used. While they were baking, I sauteed some peas with shallots, thyme, white wine and a little veggie broth. Then, I lined the rim with some arugula and cherry tomatoes.

Baked Mashed

3 cups leftover mashed potatoes

1 egg

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

butter

Salt 

Pepper

1/2 tspn onion powder

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 and grease a casserole dish with butter.

2. Mix all ingredients, except butter in a mixing bowl and then spoon into buttered casserole dish. If you want, put small pats of butter on top and sprinkle with a little more cheese.

3. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, letting it brown on top a bit.

Oatmeal with a Protein Boost

 In the past I've mentioned how I've tried to give my breakfast a nutrition boost by replacing my usual granola and yogurt or oatmeal options with a green smoothie. That didn't end up working for me since I have a strong preference for chewing my meals. I would find myself wanting to eat a second breakfast and since I'm not a Hobbit, I need to limit the amount of meals I'm having before noon. Last winter I tried overnight oats. I enjoyed them and could pack lots of stuff in there, but was adding a decent amount of maple syrup to sweeten it up. After doing my cleanse this Fall, I decided to take a hard look at the amount of sugar in my diet. I don't crave dessert type foods very often, and tend to lean towards salty and savory foods, with the exception of breakfast. Growing up eating breakfast cereal most every day left a lasting imprint on my habits. Even though I mostly eat plain yogurt with my granola, I drizzle it with maple syrup and then add either golden raisins, banana or blueberries, depending on the season. I also took a look at the sugar content of the granola I eat, and was surprised to find it was 10g per serving. Compared to other granolas, I found it to be much less sweet tasting, but that's a pretty big dollop of sugar in the morning. My oatmeal may be a bit less, but I'm guessing it's still up there. So I'm searching for alternatives. I think I can change up the overnight oats mixture to provide a lower sugar, yet tasty option. This week, I tried this recipe and found it tasty and satisfying with the only sugar coming from the banana.

Mainly I'm trying to reduce my sugar because as I age I find my metabolism changing. Also, the creator of the cleanse I did has a firm belief that if you start the day with sugar, you end the day with sugar. I figure reducing sugar can't hurt and I can find an equally as enjoyable breakfast, so it's not a sacrifice, but a shift in habit. 

Adding eggs to oatmeal doesn't add flavor, in my opinion, but it does add sustenance. It keeps me full longer. The original recipe called for a whole banana, but I used half since that's all I had and I think that was enough, but go for a whole one if you prefer getting more banana into your diet.

The mug-bowl in this picture is a special one. It was given to me as a gift by my friend Kathy. She bought it for me from a local potter during a girls weekend I wasn't able to attend at the last minute. I don't have anything else like it and think it's very pretty. I save it for days when I feel like I need a boost, so I can start my day with something that makes me smile. 

Oatmeal with eggs

3/4 cup uncooked rolled oats

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk (start with this amount and add more if necessary I used oat milk and more of a 1:1 ratio with the oats by the time I was done)

1/2 - a whole ripe banana, mashed (amount based on preference)

1 tspn cinnamon

1. Put all ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat. 

2.  Cook until all liquid is absorbed, the eggs are cooked and it's reached oatmeal consistency. Add more milk if necessary. 

3. Top with slivered almonds or anything you like on top your oatmeal. 

Tangy Braised Chickpeas in Acorn Squash Bowl

First Snow was a bit unexpected and odd this year. The unexpected part was it sounded like it was going to be a dusting that would melt within several hours, as if it had never arrived. Instead, many inches fell and I ended up shoveling IN OCTOBER. The odd part was the leaves have lingered on the trees this year and it's pretty unusual to see snow and gold or red leaves sharing space on a tree limb. It was also quite beautiful. Then, one week later it was in the 70s for several days in a row and it has felt amazing.

Anyway, enough weather talk. My point in all this is to tell you that I totally rocked First Snow in Autumn dinner. There's a dish I've been meaning to make from Smitten Kitchen (of course), and it's been a while since I've used an acorn squash as a bowl. It seemed like these could make a nice pairing and they really did. The flavors worked well together and paired with a nice glass of red wine, you've got yourself a cozy and soul satisfying meal. I bought a couple more acorn squashes and am going to experiment with using them as a bowl for a different bean based meal. There's a black bean spinach chili I haven't made in a long time and that might be just the thing.

Here's the link to the Smitten Kitchen recipe:

Tangy Braised Chickpeas

Tangy Braised Chickpeas in Acorn Squash

Tangy Braised Chickpea Stew

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 large thick carrots, cut into 1/4" thick slices

sea salt

fresh ground pepper

1/4 tspn chili flakes

at least 8 oz of thickly sliced mushrooms - crimini or portabella

4 tblspn tomato paste

1 1/2 tblspn brown sugar

3-4 cups broth - mushroom or other veg broth

1/3 cup sherry vinegar (red wine vinegar can also be used)

2 tspns worcestershire sauce (tamari could be used in its place)

2 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained

1 bay leaf

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Use a pot that can go from stove to oven (like a Le Creuset dutch oven). Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add onions. Cook for a few minutes until softened and then add garlic, cook for another 2 minutes.

3.  Add carrots, salt and both peppers. Cook for 2 minutes until the carrots begin to glisten.

4.  Add tomato paste and brown sugar. Cook for a few minutes until well incorporated. 

5.  Add chickpeas, worcestershire, broth, bay leaf and vinegar. Bring to a simmer, adding another teaspoon of salt and some pepper.

6. Once simmering cover tightly with a lid. Put in oven, arranging racks so there is also room for the squash pan to fit in there with it later.

Acorn Squash

1/2 an acorn squash per person

olive oil

salt and pepper

chopped parsley for garnish

1. Cut acorn squash in half. You can do it in either direction, based on your preference, but I did it crosswise rather than lengthwise because then you can get a better base for it to sit flat as a bowl. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

2. Put a little olive oil in the cavity, and then using your hands, rub it all around the inside and the top edge. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Put on a baking dish, cavity side facing upwards.

4. Place in oven. Test for doneness after about 30 minutes. I let mine stay in the most of the remaining time I cooked the chickpeas (a little over an hour by the time I put them in) and the flesh got very soft and caramelized, which I liked. It made it easy (and tasty) to mix the squash with bites of the stew. 

To serve, place squash into a wide soup bowl or plate. Ladle stew into the acorn squash and then some more around it in the plate. Garnish with parsley.

Stuffed Baked Potato

 When I travel to my company's L.A. office and am accompanied by local co-workers, we have a tradition of stopping for dinner at a restaurant on the way to the airport that is known for its giant baked potatoes. I always get one when we go. It is, in fact, giant and I enjoy it immensely, despite being uncomfortably full for at least the first few hours of the flight home. A baked potato can be delicious prepared very simply with salt, pepper and a pat of butter. I eat it in its entirety, including the skin. I hesitate to admit that as a kid, I would cut the potato in half, scoop out the "meat" onto my plate, then put a big slab of butter inside the skin, let it melt and eat that by itself. Aaaah, the 70s - before we knew consuming unchecked amounts of butter was not so great for our heart health.

Baked potatoes can also be made into a hearty, comforting meal by stuffing them with various combinations. I'm not sure if "stuffed" is the most accurate description. It's more like they're "topped with" or "smothered". However, for recipe naming purposes, stuffed sounds better. This post is less a recipe and more an idea to build upon. I will share a combination that I like, and will add more in the future as I play with more possibilities. I say "play" because I do think of stuffed baked potatoes as a fun food, yet I think it can also be daring or sophisticated depending on your desired toppings. So, I challenge you, my non-existent readers, to come up with a variation that you deem tasty and satisfying and then share it back with me.

I am currently doing a cleanse to give my digestive system a break as we head into the colder months, so no butter or cheese in the version I made tonight as I might typically do, but the base is similar to one of my go-to combinations. 

Update: I tried a Mexican version which I've been meaning to do. You might just prefer to have this sort of thing over rice. It is nice, in my opinion, over a potato and offers some variety of taste and texture for a Mexican inspired dish.

Mexican inspired - black beans & baby kale

Cleanse toppings - spinach & mushroom

Same ingredients but in a saute

Basic baked potato recipe

Russet potatoes

Olive oil 

Sea salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Scrub each potato with water to remove dirt. Using a fork or a small sharp knife, poke many holes around each side of the potato to prevent from exploding in your oven.

3. Put a little olive oil in your hands and rub it all around the surface of each potato. Then rub some sea salt on.

4. Put the potatoes on a baking sheet and put them in the oven. They will need to cook anywhere from 40-60 minutes depending on their size. Test for doneness with a fork. When the fork slides right through to the middle, they are done. 

5. Put on a plate. Cut a slit down the middle. Hold from either end, and push ends towards each other to open up the potato for a bit. Add toppings.

Cleanse toppings (pictured above)

white miso paste put into slits in the potato so it will soften

sauteed onions, garlic, mushrooms, dried thyme, spinach and fresh parsley finished with a little lemon juice

sprinkled dulse, pepper and a little Bragg's liquid aminos

Mexican toppings (also pictured above)

1 small diced onion sauteed with chili flakes, salt, one can of black beans, cumin, chili powder, baby kale (another green would be just fine), and some water with a little vegetarian Better than Bouillon (not necessary), squeezed lime juice at the end.

Topped with feta and fresh cilantro. Chopped tomatoes or salsa would be nice for tasted and presentation as well. 

Above you'll see another variation with the leftover baked potato diced and sauteed in the pan with everything else.  

Debbie Don't Cocktail

This year, as the leaves change and the temperature begins its descent towards winter, the challenge here in New England is to figure out how to keep warm enough in the evenings to socialize outdoors. New fire pits and various kinds of heaters are popping up in friends' backyards. I am putting together a backyard socializing essentials kit to keep in my car: a hat, gloves, scarf, winter coat, camp chair and blanket, so I'm always ready and can withstand a couple of hours of the Fall night air. It's one thing being out in the daylight riding on trails; it's easy to keep warm. Sitting still under the dusky or night sky is very different. It gets cold fast when the sun starts to set. I'm sure we'll get better at this and find additional solutions as we get more practice. Here's an example of an inexpensive heating solution:

Last weekend, I included in my list of items for outside socializing all the ingredients to make a Debbie Don't. I found this recipe on cnh.photo's Instagram page. At first glance, I thought this drink sounded like an unlikely and perhaps unpleasant combination, but I was intrigued because it seemed like it had the potential to be a nice Fall themed cocktail. It works and so far has appealed to several of my friends who have tried it. Next up, I'm going to experiment with making a Hot Toddy. That seems like just the thing to drink while sitting by a fire, trying to keep warm.

 

Debbie Don't Cocktail

1 oz Resposado tequila

1 oz Averna Amaro

.75 oz fresh squeezed lime juice

.5 oz REAL maple syrup*

Do this to taste. I prefer it a little less. 

1. Put all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and pour into your glass of choice. 

Roasted Vegetable & Grain Bowl with Miso Sauce

For the most part, my blog should just say "read Smitten Kitchen". Here's another recipe of hers I made last night which will become part of the rotation for a weeknight meal. It's pretty flexible and the thing that brings it all together is the miso sauce. Chop some veggies and put them in the oven to roast, put a grain on the stove to cook and while those things are happening, make the sauce. When everything is cooked, assemble in a bowl. I'm not going to put the whole recipe here, just the sauce. I want to be able to access it quickly until I no longer need to refer to the recipe to make it. She also sprinkles some toasted sesame seeds on top which would be a nice touch, but I didn't have any on hand. Here's the link to the original from Smitten Kitchen:

Miso Sweet Potato and Broccoli Bowl

I made it again and put the same combination over a bed of arugula and added some chopped peanuts on top. I liked the addition of the greens. You could forgo the grain all together if you'd prefer a pure veggie bowl.

Miso Sauce

2 tablespoons white miso

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons tahini or a nut butter (I have used almond butter when I didn't have tahini)

1 small clove garlic, minced (note to me - don't be heavy-handed on the garlic)

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 

1. Put in a large bowl and blend with an immersion blender, or put in a blender and blend until smooth. (I added a tiny bit of hot water from the grains I was cooking too to help break down the miso and nut butter.) 

Boulevardier Cocktail

I've been reading Ross Gay's Book of Delights, and am very much enjoying finding out what delights another fellow human, even though it's a human I've never met. It's not necessarily what I expected and his delights are far from the obvious list of things that might come to mind. In the beginning he mentions that once he began this project and made it a point to look for delights, they started to present themselves to him more frequently as if saying "pick me! pick me!" I think this is an excellent time to be deliberately looking for delights when there is so much happening that is quite undelightful. It could be a sort of therapy to balance out the negative incoming.

Inspired by Ross I thought I'd share a delight of my own. I am delighted when I discover a confluence of things or people that I have enjoyed separately. As a recent example, the food blogger that I've referred to many times, Deb, of Smitten Kitchen discussed a book called The Margot Affair and raved about the author's knack to describe food. Deb mentions she and the author, Senae Lemoine ended up speaking so Senae could share one of the recipes mentioned in the book. I was intrigued by her description and in need of a novel to immerse myself in so ordered and quickly read the book. I liked it quite a lot, so recommended it to a friend. Shortly thereafter, that friend told me the author of the book was interviewed on a podcast she listens to called "The New Paris". I listened to that episode and thought the podcaster, Lindsey Tramuta, was an excellent interviewer so listened to several more and it turns out that she also recently had David Leibovitz as a guest. I've mentioned David recently as the inspiration for much of my cocktail experimentation over the past many months. Then, around that same time, David Leibovitz mentioned Smitten Kitchen in one of his Instagram posts and having talked with Deb. <Insert brain explosion sound here.> So, now I imagine all four of these folks who I am a huge fan of separately all being connected, or maybe even good friends and perhaps all sitting down to a long French style meal together! I understand this probably doesn't sound particularly exciting to you and it makes sense that these folks would be connected, so not all that surprising. I guess I just enjoy when it turns out people I like also like one another. I wonder how they would feel knowing that I'm referring to them familiarly by their first names as if Deb, Senae, Lindsey, David and I are all pals. If Ross ends up mentioning any of these folks in his book, that'd really make this confluence very special. I think you'd have to agree with that. I'll let you know if that happens.

David revealed in his interview with Lindsey that his favorite cocktail is the Boulevardier which is also one of my faves, and so the theme continues. This is sometimes referred to as a "French Negroni". Here's the recipe. Hopefully you will enjoy it too.

Boulevardier

1 1/2 oz Bourbon

1 oz Campari

1 oz sweet vermouth

orange peel for garnish

1.  Put bourbon, campari and vermouth in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Pour into a coupe glass. Twist orange peel over the drink and then place inside. 

Broccoli Farro Salad

 Continuing on my farro theme for this past year, here's a great summer take on farro. This is yet another Smitten Kitchen regular for me now. I prefer it loaded up with broccoli. I'm often aiming to get the veggie to starch ratio much higher on the veggies, so it's vegetable forward with a noticeable accent of grain or pasta, but I somehow don't seem to execute very well on this. Tonight I sauteed what I thought were quite a lot of summer vegetables with a bit of goat cheese and I only put 2 handfuls of pasta in the water to cook. I had this very colorful pan full of zucchini, spinach, tomatoes, chickpeas, parsley, etc, tossed in my "small" amount of pasta and it suddenly seemed like a bland pasta dish. So for the farro salad, the next time I make it, if I feel like there's too much broccoli, I'm going to just go for it and add more. If you eat fish this works well as a side dish. You could top the salad with a fried egg to have a complete meal with maybe some tomatoes on the side for color. 

When I was looking for my pictures of this dish, I came across this picture of Luna munching on some oak leaves and it made me wonder if she would like broccoli.

What I most enjoy about this dish is the texture of it. I also like that it's not many ingredients, yet packs a punch in flavor. Here is the link to the recipe on Smitten Kitchen:

Broccoli Rubble

BROCCOLI farro Salad

1 cup semi-pearled farro

1 pound broccoli, cut into "branches" to start

2 cloves garlic, minced 

4 tablespoons olive oil

red pepper flakes

finely grated zest of one lemon, then juice from the same lemon

1/4 cup grated percorino ramano or parmesan

salt 

black pepper, fresh ground

1. Put the farro on to cook according to package directions. 

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli and cook for about 2 minutes. You want it to soften slightly but still retain a crunch. Remove with thongs and set aside to dry on paper towels and pat dry. When it has cooled enough to handle, chop it into small bite-sized pieces.

3. Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add several shakes of chili flake and garlic. Cook for about a minute, stirring. Add broccoli, lemon zest and a teaspoon of salt. Cook, tossing, for about 4 minutes. 

4. Put your cooked farro in a bowl, scrape all contents of sautee pan into it. Stir Add lemon juice, cheese, black pepper to taste and more salt if you need it. Stir again. 

Zucchini and Almond Pasta Salad

 In my last post I mentioned how I gravitated this summer towards cooling foods that required little to no heat to make. In addition to going heavy on cucumber, I also ate even more zucchini than usual. I tried this particular recipe because you don't have to cook the zucchini, but instead you salt and drain it. I made this recipe twice, once doing it this way, and once with sauteing the zucchini. I like the latter better. This was another Smitten Kitchen recipe. It was intended for a picnic, which of course caught my attention since I'm a sucker for anything picnic themed. It's also one of several recipes where she pairs zucchini with toasted almonds. They work really well together, and I always like having some crunch in a salad. I'm going to put the link to her recipe below so you can see how Deb made it, and all of her suggestions for add-ins. I'm going to post my variation on it with the cooked zucchini, so I can remember to make it next summer. One thing I would like to do is make it with the whole wheat rotini as she did. I can imagine that the bite of it would be better and the color would be nice as well. I had loaded up on pasta during quarantine and still trying to make my way through the stash in my cabinet before I can justify buying more.

As a side note, I think all her mix in suggestions are great, and both times just used what I had on hand. The first time I did cannelini beans, basil and red onion. The second time I added arugula. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

Click here for Deb's recipe

Zucchini and Almond Pasta salad, my variation 

1/2 pound pasta of your choice, preferably whole wheat rotini

2 medium to large zucchini, sliced into thin half moons (you can go heavy on the zucchini if you have it)

1 1/2 ounces shaved parmesan 

1/2 cup slivered almonds

a few shakes of chili flakes

3 tablespoons olive oil 

1 lemon

salt and pepper

2 big handfuls of arugula torn into pieces

1. Put pasta water onto boil, then cook pasta according to package directions. When done, drain and set aside to cool. 

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a sautee pan over medium high heat. When hot, add chili flakes, then add zucchini. Cook until it's just starting to brown. Set aside to cool. 

3. Toast almonds. I usually do this in a toaster oven and bake on 300. It should take about 6 or 7 minutes. Keep an eye on them and shake the pan a couple of times during this. For this recipe you want them quite brown, but not burned. When done, set aside to cool.

4. Mix remaining olive oil and juice from the lemon. 

5. When pasta, zucchini and almonds are cooled, put them in a bowl. Add cheese, dressing, arugula, any other mix-ins and toss. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Cucumber Elderflower Gimlet

 I ate more cucumber than usual this summer. We had one of the hottest summers in my memory. Many days tipping over 90 or 95 degrees Fahrenheit. I know this doesn't seem terribly hot compared to some other regions, but add in high humidity, a lack of good air conditioning and that starts to get pretty uncomfortable. One of the downsides of working from home is I don't get to enjoy the central air conditioning in my office. As a result, I gravitated towards cooling foods and things that didn't need any or much heat to prepare. I didn't do anything terribly exciting with cucumber. Mostly I just added it to various salads or snacked on it. In July and August I typically have my fair share of tomato cucumber salads, so that's nothing new. I ate the occasional cucumber sandwich with a bit of mayo, salt and pepper. Then, I discovered this take on a Gimlet and cucumber also made its way into my cocktail. I'm guessing there are only two or maybe three more weeks that this cocktail can act as a cool refresher on a warm summer's evening, so get to it!

Cucumber Elderflower Gimlet

For one drink:

1.5 ounces Hendrick's gin

1 ounce St. Germain liquer

1 ounce lime juice

1 2-inch x 1/4-inch piece of cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut lenghthwise, plus one slice for garnish

1. Fill a coupe glass with ice to chill.

2. Put all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously so the cucumber breaks down a bit.

3. Dump ice from glass and strain contents of shaker into it. Garnish with cucumber slice. 

The Yellow Cocktail

 I've been talking about doing this for a while now, and I think it's finally time. I need to start posting cocktail recipes. Cocktails are vegetarian too, after all,  and will fit in nicely among the casual dishes of veggies, grains and herbs. I also need a place to record the cocktails I like the most and are worth repeating. I've been experimenting quite a bit since the quarantine started and I've now lost track of the various attempts. Some were definite keepers from the first sip; some met their fate in my sink drain; and, others were good or questionable and perhaps need another chance.

While I enjoy certain beers and can appreciate a nice glass of wine, I've long been more of a cocktail gal. Like cooking, I find it fun to learn what combinations work well together and the possibilities are endless. I have no interest in home brewing my own beer or making my own wine, but I have great interest in having the knowledge to choose and make a cocktail just right for the occasion or for someone's individual tastes. Unlike cooking, however, it can be a bit more of an investment to experiment. Purchasing an entire bottle of a spirit or liquer to determine whether you like it is a bit riskier than buying a bunch of rainbow swiss chard from the local farmers' market or a few scoops of amaranth from the bulk food section. Of course there are investments to be made with cooking too, but I'm finding my cocktail endeavors to be a bigger hit to my credit card. Since I don't have the option these days of sitting down at a well-appointed bar to chat with the bartender and order a drink to try a particular alcohol, I've had to take the leap and purchase often large bottles of liquid I'm not sure I'll like. 

One of my main sources of inspiration in the last few months has been Drinking French by David Leibovitz. It was a great way for me to start getting more serious about cocktail making. It provided me a genre to get started with so I could narrow the playing field with what I needed to buy. It's also a beautiful book with inspirational pictures, and stories and descriptions to provide some knowledge about the various spirits without being overwhelming. He has a fun, light-hearted approach and I highly recommend the book for you or as a gift for a cocktail enthusiast in your life.

While Drinking French helped me to narrow the playing field in a much larger landscape of the cocktail world, there are still quite a lot of items necessary to build a proper French bar. I'd look at a recipe I'd want to try and very frustratingly be missing one of the four ingredients. In the beginning, I picked a couple of cocktails to get started with and I've expanded from there. 

Since summer is winding down, I'm going to get started with what I think of as good hot weather cocktails. This one David Leibovitz refers to as The Yellow Cocktail for obvious reasons. It's bright and summery, but I don't think it's for everyone. It's both bitter and tart with a tad of sweetness. If you like Amaro, my guess is you'll like Suze. As for the Chartreuse, it's strongly herbal. I'm now stocked with both green and yellow. I remember buying my first bottle of green to make a Last Word wondering "How will I ever use this all?" Well, I have, and replenished it. They both make good digestifs. I'm not yet good at describing the flavor composition of a cocktail, but hope to get there with more practice.

I am fond of cocktails that are equal parts of all the ingredients because they're easy to remember. The Yellow Cocktail falls into that category. If you live locally I am happy to provide you with some Suze if you don't want to buy a whole bottle to try it! (I can say this without worry because no one actually reads my blog except for maybe my mother once in a while and she doesn't drink cocktails.)

I will discuss dry gins for cocktails in a future post. I have more work to do on that.

Click here to listen to David talk about The Yellow Cocktail

The Yellow Cocktail by David Leibovitz

3/4 oz dry London gin

3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse

3/4 oz Suze

3/4 oz lemon juice

1. Remove a strip of lemon peel to use as a garnish; set aside.

2. Put some ice into coupe glass to chill.

3. Put all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously.

4. Pour into chilled glass and top with lemon peel garnish.