Cherry-Basil Syrup for Cocktails

Posted on July 16, 2013 by abourbongal

There’s nothing quite like the tart juicy burst of a sweet, musky—and the best are almost over-ripe—cherry bursting on my tongue. Each bite followed by the quick rip-pull of the stem from between the teeth and a never-graceful pucker to release the pit. Fresh cherries piled in a bowl of ice are the perfect snack for a blazing mid-summer afternoon.

Leifheit didn’t pay us to use this pitter. We just think it’s wonderful.

Cherries have been starring in quite a few dishes in my kitchen already this summer. My neighbor has three ancient sour-cherry trees in her yard; one day last summer we picked 16 pounds (yes, pounds!) of fruit from her trees, fighting off the birds as we went. After my boys spent a half-hour using one-at-a-time pitters that fell apart after 50 cherries, I purchased a Leifheit Cherry Stoner. Those clever Germans know what they are doing in the cherry processing department: we pitted the entire mess in a little over an hour. Best $29.95 I’ve ever spent on a plastic kitchen appliance that Alton Brown would no-doubt classify as a “uni-tasker.”

This summer we’re using both farm-stand purchased sweet cherries and sour cherries. We’re making the usual cherry preserves, cherry jam, and cherry-rhubarb chutney. But every year I also put up several cherry applications specific to cocktail making: Cherry Heering (which we made in a previous post), Cherry Bounce (the Appalachian infusion of one part cherries in two parts white corn or bourbon whiskey), and I make cherry syrups and shrubs, which are classic Southern cocktail mixers. Although I use basil in this recipe, a plain cherry syrup is just as delightful and a bit more flexible for general cocktail use.

Cherry, Basil & Pink Peppercorn Syrup.

Cherry-Basil & Pink Peppercorn Syrup

This jewel-toned syrup is gorgeous mixed into Manhattans, or used instead of simple syrup to jazz up clear soda-based simple cocktails in the gin and vodka varieties. See recipes, below.

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

2 cups cherries, pitted and rough-chopped

1 handful of basil leaves

1 tsp. pink peppercorns

Over medium heat, bring all ingredients to a low simmer, stirring continuously to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture comes to a light simmer, reduce heat to the lowest setting and let barely simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Rest for at least one and up to three hours to let flavors meld.

Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large non-reactive (ceramic or glass) container. Do not be tempted to press down on the solids or scrape the bottom of the strainer — this will give you a cloudy (although still delicious) syrup! Just let gravity do its work. Store in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.

Basil-Cherry Bellini. Yum!

Basil-Cherry Bellini

1 oz. Cherry-Basil Pink Peppercorn Syrup, strained

3 oz. chilled Prosecco

Pour cherry syrup into a chilled champagne or coupe glass. Slowly add the Prosecco (take your time, this will fizz a lot!). Garnish with a small basil leaf or two. Gorgeous!

Tequila Trifecta: Grilled Pineapple-Jalapeño Margaritas

Posted on May 25, 2013 by abourbongal

Frozen grilled pineapple-jalepeno margarita

Frozen grilled pineapple- jalapeno margarita

My girlfriend Big Bold Cab texted me, “My girlfriends want me to make pineapple margaritas this weekend?!” Oh, BBC, you know this is the perfect second H.O.A.G.Y (Help Out A Gal/Guy, Yeah?) for A Bourbon Gal. We’ve got your back!

Grilled Pineapple. It’s fantastic stuff – wonderful on teriyaki chicken burgers, served with pound cake and ice cream, or on grilled Hawaiian pizza (shh, don’t tell The Macallan; he thinks fruit on pizza portends the end of days). But I always have a few spears left over, hanging around in my fridge wilting sadly, waiting for a greater purpose. Something larger than chicken salad; greater than yogurt smoothies.

And, my friends, I have found grilled pineapple’s true and righteous calling: Tequila Infusion.

I’m probably not inventing the wheel on this one. In fact, we’ve seen pineapple infused tequila, and jalapeño-infused tequila featured on foodie boozy sites for years. So maybe a grilled pineapple-jalapeño infusion isn’t original, but there’s only so much time I’m going to spend on Google this afternoon trying to figure out if this is brand-new information, folks, so here’s what I’ve been using and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Grilled Pineapple-Jalepeno Infused Tequila. Sweet spice in a jar, my friends.

Grilled Pineapple-Jalapeño (GPJ) Infused Tequila (Method):

To a lidded clean 1 quart glass jar add

3-4 spears grilled pineapple

1 grilled jalapeño, seeds removed

3 cups tequila (no need to use your best stuff, here)

Refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 1 week. Remove jalapeño when the heat is at a level you like or it will keep getting stronger. This infusion is great for sipping on the rocks with a splash of ginger ale, or in either of the following margarita recipes.

Grilled Pineapple-Jalapeño Margarita, rocks (makes 1)

Grilled Pineapple-Jalepeno Margarita with Hawaiian Alaea sea salt rim.

Grilled Pineapple-Jalapeno Margarita with Hawaiian Alaea sea salt rim.

Rub the rim of a margarita or martini glass with a lime wedgeCoat the rim with crushed pink Hawaiian Alaea sea salt; fill glass with ice

To a cocktail shaker add:

The juice of 2 fresh limes

1.5 oz. GPJ tequila

0.5 oz. Cointreau

0.5 oz. agave nectar

Shake well to combine, and pour over ice. Add a wedge of lime and a chunk of grilled pineapple for garnish.

Frozen Pineapple-Jalapeño Margarita (makes 2 extra-large cocktails, or 4 Utah-regulated pours)

I’m usually not a fan of margarita in its slushy form, but this is a fantastic exception. Be careful, the tequila-soaked pineapple packs an alcoholic punch! I’m not sure how much it adds to the proof, but it will knock you on your ass faster than you can say “who’s the designated driver?”

To a blender add:

2 cups ice

Juice of 5 fresh limes

1 ½ spears tequila-soaked grilled pineapple

3 oz. GPJ tequila

1 oz. Cointreau

1.5 oz. agave nectar

If you like things spicy, also throw in a couple of slices of your tequila-soaked grilled jalapeño here, too. Insanely yum.

Blend until ice is uniformly crushed and all ingredients are frothy. Pour into margarita or martini glasses, and garnish with pineapple and lime.

A Proper (and Improper) Mint Julep

Posted on April 26, 2013 by abourbongal

Some people have fancy silver Julep cups passed down through many generations. I have canning jars.

Towards the end of April I start getting all nostalgic about Kentucky Derby’s of my youth, singing (well, warbling) “My Old Kentucky Home,” and the weeks of debauchery Louisville celebrates leading up to the big day. I’m getting misty eyed just thinking about it, but my friends here in Utah don’t quite get the appeal. There’s a lot to love about my adopted mountain state, but a tradition of extended whiskey-soaked revelry is just not one of them. And don’t y’all EVEN tell me Pioneer Day rallies the same hedonistic enthusiasm. Just stop it. Now.

Doesn’t every 18 year old go through a phase when they want to be a great travel writer? I read this the summer between high school and college and it blew my mind. And gave me all sorts of ideas…

What’s Derby like? Well, if you haven’t already, it’s a moral imperative you read Hunter S. Thompson’s 1970 essay, “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved.” It’s a marvel of sports reporting and travel journalism wrapped up in complete and utter sublime bullshit that stands the test of time more than forty years later. And it’s Hunter S. Thompson drinking whiskey for three straight days. See, nothing like Pioneer Day.

My secret to a fantastic Mint Julep? Don’t kill your mint! When I see someone grinding mint with a mortar into the bottom of a glass I just cringe. It makes the mint bitter, and plus all of those little mint pieces invariably get stuck in your teeth and who wants that when you are wearing bright red lipstick and a fabulous hat? A pert spank will do, instead, if you make minted simple syrup a day in advance. You’ll love this stuff: in addition to making superlative Juleps, minted syrup is perfect in Mojitos, iced tea, lemonade, and Arnold Palmers.

Minted Simple Syrup

In a big bowl or quart glass pyrex measure, add 2 cups boiling water to 2 cups granulated sugar. Mix with a wooden spoon until sugar is completely dissolved. Meanwhile, place 4-5 big sprigs of fresh mint in a quart-sized Mason or other lidded glass jar. Once the sugar syrup is cool enough to touch comfortably with your fingers, pour over the mint. Cool to room temperature, place the lid on the jar, and set in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove mint leaves, and store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Minted simple syrup. Boozemongering at it’s finest, my friends. You will use this freakalicious syrup in everything!

A Proper Mint Julep

2-3 sprigs fresh mint

2 oz. Kentucky Bourbon

2-3 oz. minted simple syrup

“Spank” a sprig of mint between your hands (as if you are clapping), place in the bottom of a chilled silver Julep cup. Fill the cup to the rim with crushed ice. Slowly pour over the ice at the same time 2 oz. Kentucky Bourbon and 2-3 oz. minted syrup. Spank another mint sprig and add as a garnish. Gently stir the cocktail with a long handled stirrer until combined.

*Julep purists look away now. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

I love making Juleps with Rye whiskey, too. It gives them a little more bite, and is a nice counterpoint to the sweetness of the mint.

How pretty is that?! The Strawberry Julep is perfect cocktail for a dinner by the grill, backyard bash, or lazy afternoon.

An “Improper” Strawberry Julep

I made this cocktail for my girlfriends who complained that a traditional julep was too strong. Meaning, they don’t like the taste of bourbon. Sigh. Convinced that I could make a bourbon-based cocktail they’d like, I threw this baby together. Now everybody’s happy.

2 sprigs fresh mint

2 very ripe strawberries (plus an additional one for garnish)

1 ½ oz. bourbon

2 oz. minted simple syrup

Splash of club soda

In the bottom of a cocktail shaker, muddle two small very ripe strawberries until they are smooshy. Add bourbon and mint syrup, one sprig of mint, and 2-3 cubes of ice. Shake about 5-6 seconds. Strain cocktail into a highball glass or Mason jar filled with ice. Garnish with a sprig of “spanked” mint, a strawberry sliced almost in half to perch on the rim of your glass, and a splash of club soda if desired.

Fear and Loathing in the Lift Line

Posted on March 6, 2013 by abourbongal

(plus, DIY Cherry Heering and a gorgeous après ski cocktail, The Powderhound).

For a while there, I was afraid of getting on the ski lift. I don’t fear falling off the chair or have acrophobia (although there’s that puckerish stretch on the Summit chair at Solitude that gives me the heebs. Every. Time.) Nope, the thing that had me squirming was the inevitability of hearing some Really Bad News from a girlfriend.

It began innocuously enough. Usually a casual “hey, do you have a half-day open this week to get some turns in?” invitation prompted our outing. I’d meet up with my girlfriend and we’d make a warm up run or two. Then it would happen: I’d hear those dreaded words, “So… I don’t know if you’ve heard yet, but…”

Two divorces. One separation (with the ugly cheating-spouse details). Another friend struggled with understanding her child’s recently-diagnosed learning disabilities. A scarily inconclusive mammogram. After a long decline with Alzheimer’s, a friend’s mother passed away. My girlfriend Cherry Heering’s husband did some Very Naughty Things on the interwebs and was facing criminal prosecution (amazingly, she’s not one of the ones who got divorced. You are a far more forgiving person than I, Cherry).

I started packing extra tissues, and my cheeks were chapped from tears collecting under the lower edge of my goggles and freezing on my face. I wondered if therapists along the Wasatch had started prescribing the ski date as the perfect opportunity to practice talking about bad news.

And at the end of the day, after the cheating bastards were soundly trashed, the injustices of life questioned and pondered, and our friendship reaffirmed with fresh air, exercise, and swaying teary hugs shared at the parking lot, I’d go pick up my kids from school. I’d remind them how awesome I think they are, and hug them until they squirmed. Tell my husband I loved him. And I’d make myself a stiff cocktail. And count my blessings, high among them my amazing, strong, and resilient friends.

Needless to say, I’m looking forward to spring.

A beautiful après ski cocktail: THE POWDERHOUND

I made up this cocktail when I wasn’t in the mood for either a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned, and knocking back two fingers of bourbon seemed a little too ironic (even for me) after a day spent skiing with a friend who’d been looking into rehab facilities for her husband. It’s a gorgeous ruby color, and the sugar/cayenne rim adds a nice balance to the sweetness of the cherry heering and bite of the rye.

2-3 cherries (fresh, or from your home made cherry booze)

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

Two dashes Angostura bitters

1 oz. Cherry Heering*

1 ½ oz. rye whiskey

1 oz. club soda (optional)

In a shallow saucer, combine sugar and cayenne. Rub the rim of a highball glass with a cherry to coat with juice. Dip the glass rim into the pepper-sugar mixture. Add bitters to the glass, and swirl to coat the interior of the glass. In a cocktail shaker, add 3-4 cubes ice, the cherry heering, and whiskey. Shake for 10 seconds or so, and then pour everything into the highball glass. Garnish with cherries, and top with a little club soda, if desired.

BOOZEMONGERING: Cherry Heering

* Cherry Heering is a (duh) cherry-based liqueur available at most liquor stores. After my eponymous friend gave me a pint of her home made version –old cherry trees like hers are everywhere in our fair city—I’ve been making my own, too. Here’s the super easy two ingredient recipe:

To a clean glass quart jar, add 2 cups washed & pitted sweet cherries. Pour enough vodka to cover cherries (about 3 cups). Let stand in a cool, dark place for at least 1 week and up to 1 year.

Field Trip: Finca’s High West Distillery Whiskey pairing dinner

Posted on February 28, 2013 by abourbongal

Finca’s cheese & charcuterie plate, paired with High West Prairie Punch

Last night Salt Lake City experienced a small but powerful bit of wonder that I couldn’t have envisioned ten– maybe even five– years ago: 60+ guests gleefully paid for the opportunity to sample Utah-made whiskeys paired with a delightful small-plates tasting menu.

At a neighborhood restaurant.

On a Wednesday night.

With just a couple of weeks of social-media savvy forward lead time.

BOOM.

After bookings for the originally-conceived 18 seat tasting filled within hours of the High West Distillery pairing dinner announcement, Finca owner Scott Evans realized he could easily fill his joint for an exclusive event. The draw? Oh, let’s just look at the line-up, shall we? The talented palate and vision of Pago-founder Scott Evans. Finca’s locally-sourced Spanish-inspired tapas created by executive chef Phelix Gardner. Four varieties of High West Distillery booze, presented by the distillery’s passionate proprietor, David Perkins. And mixing it all together, the man behind Finca’s bar, Scott Gardner. Who also just happens to be named Salt Lake Magazine’s “Best Mixologist” for 2013. Done, and done, my friends. [Don’t worry – if you didn’t get in to this dinner, more food/beverage pairing menus are planned through the next few months, including a Spanish wine tasting menu for March].

Locally-sourced mushroom Spanish-style flatbread, paired with High West Campfire whiskey. Sorry, the potatoes were all gone before I could take a photo.

The folks from High West brought four whiskeys to the dinner: their American Prairie Reserve Bourbon, Son of Bourye (a bourbon-rye blend), Campfire Whiskey (a rye-bourbon-scotch – yes, I know, SCOTCH) blend, and the award-winning Rendezvous Rye. Scott Gardener introduced guests to the Prairie Reserve in the form of an old-fashioned whiskey punch (recipe, below), which the chef paired with a cheese and charcuterie plate. The remaining whiskeys were all served neat in scant 1 oz. pours, with plates intended to complement the layered flavors of whiskey –sweet, savory, mellow, smoky – in the form of roasted carrots, mushroom-topped flatbreads, and local beef sliders with house made pickles. All exquisite.

I’m not going to lie, I expected to be underwhelmed by the Frankensteinian hybrid Campfire Whiskey, one of the few High West products I’d not yet tried. “Dubious” understates my apprehensions about adding scotch to a rye-bourbon blend. Married to a long-time scotch purist, I was prepared for both of us to be disappointed by the pour. I couldn’t have been more wrong: in the midst of all of this food and whiskey fabulousness, we both moaned over an unassuming-looking plate of fried paprika-dusted potatoes with a tangy garlic aioli paired perfectly with the complexity of the smoky blended Campfire whiskey. This combo stole the show. It also introduced us to our new favorite hunting-camp compromise whiskey. We no longer need to bring a bottle each of bourbon and scotch: now, we’ll be bringing a bottle of High West Campfire.

High West Prairie Punch:

Finca’s bar man Scott Gardner resurrects the concept of an artisanal punch in this recipe, harkening back to the time when every bar or local watering hole worth its salt had a proprietary and exclusive house punch. The traditional oleo saccharum (“oil sugar”) preparation takes some lead-time to assemble, but is worth the effort to create a well-blended traditional punch. Here’s his recipe, which makes A LOT (good for a party of 20 or more guests):

1) At least two hours, or up to one day ahead, prepare oleo saccarum by gently muddling 8 oz. granulated sugar and the peels of 6 lemons.

Finca’s Scott Gardner (second from left) supervising the carefully-metered pouring of a lot of whiskey.

2) After the sugar has turned to a syrup/paste consistency, add 6 oz. lemon juice, stir to combine, and let sit for an additional 30 minutes.

3) Strain out the lemon peels from the mixture and discard

4) In a large punch bowl (or two pitchers), combine:

– lemon sugar

– 1 bottle (apprx 25 oz.) High West American Prairie Reserve bourbon

– 40 oz. cold water

– ½ oz. angostura bitters

5) Just before serving, add ice to chill your punch

6) Float 8 oz. brut cava on top of the punch

7) Garnish with lemon wheels and a generous grating of fresh nutmeg

8) Note from A Bourbon Gal: Lovely served in shallow ‘coupe’ stemmed glasses

Oh! You Sexy Beets Dirty Martini – a hot & pink cocktail

Posted on February 11, 2013 by abourbongal

Why I don’t dine out on Valentine’s Day, and you shouldn’t either.

I avoid dining out on Valentine’s Day. With few exceptions, restaurants are packed with starry-eyed lovers ordering off of prix fixe menus with cloyingly sweet and often watery cocktail offerings, cheap champagne and the Cosmopolitan being the most egregious of these, in my book. The servers and kitchen are overtaxed trying to run a fast turn-over service to a bunch of people who are too busy groping each other under the tablecloth to really enjoy the meal.

My girlfriends Sangiovese and Saketini argue that Valentine’s Day could be considered the epitome of the asshat guy holiday – he can be a complete douche to his girlfriend/wife/partner all year, but shell out some bucks for awful milk chocolates and dinner out and he’s –at least temporarily- redeemed himself. Why can’t a guy just be nice, generous and considerate all the time? I’m convinced, gals. You’ve got my vote.

My husband, The Macallan, and I usually go out the weekend before or after, preferably on a Sunday night, and enjoy a leisurely meal accompanied by an attentive server and an excellent wine list. On V Day itself, I prepare a simple dinner at home, and enjoy a sassy hot pink dirty martini while I’m making it. The Macallan can totally grope me after I’ve had one (or two) of these and the kids have been excused from the table.

Oh! You Sexy Beets Dirty Martini

If you haven’t canned up your own Sexy Beets with Cipollini onions (below), use very good quality spicy artisanal beets from your Farmer’s Market, or do a quick pickle the day before with a beet or two boiled in the spicy brine. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use (at least overnight and up to 3 weeks). I like the icy film on the top of the martini created by the shaking method, but it’s very good stirred, as well.

In a cocktail shaker with a few cubes of ice add:

2 oz. gin

¼ oz. dry vermouth

¼ oz. spicy beet pickling juice

Shake, then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with skewered segment of beet and a pickled cipollini onion.

Nice Cans, Gal!: Pickled Sexy Beets & Cipollini Onions

My friend Peppermint Schnapps says beets taste like ass. Since I’m not going to ask her whose ass she’s been sampling, I can only guess that the only beets she’s tasting are the nasty gluey ones from the grocery shelf cans, or unseasoned over-roasted monsters.

These sassy pickled beets, paired with adorable cipollini onions, are your best bet to win over the most fervent beet-haters. Lovely in an arugula salad with a bit of goat cheese and roasted walnuts, or served on their own for a stunning relish tray. I love them in place of olives for a hot pink dirty martini; add a splash of the spicy brine in place of olive juice and skewer a beet wedge and an onion for your garnish. Fabulous.

Sexy Beets & Cipollini Onions (makes approximately 6 pints)

1 Tbs. dill seed

1 Tbs. black peppercorns

½ cup fresh dill weed (approx.)

2 ½ cups white vinegar

1 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

8 cups prepared beets (boiled until tender, with skins removed, stemmed)

2 cups prepared cipollini onions (parboiled & plunged in cold water so tough outer skins peel off easily)

1) Prepare canner, jars & lids.

2) For each pint jar (cut amount in half, if using ½ pint jars) add: 1 sprig dill weed, ½ tsp. dill seeds, ½ tsp. black peppercorns

3) Combine vinegar, water, and sugar in a large stainless steel saucepan. Boil until sugar is dissolved. Add beets and onions and return to a boil.

4) Divide beets and onions equally amongst the prepared jars, leaving a generous ½ “ head space at the top of jars. Ladle hot pickling liquid over the beets maintaining a ½” head space. Poke a chop stick around the beets to remove air bubbles and add more liquid if needed.

5) Wipe rims, center lids, screw bands on until fingertip tights.

6) Process covered in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes (adjust for altitude = SLC add 10 minutes)

7) Remove canner lid and turn off heat. Let sit 5 minutes.

8) Remove jars, cool at room temperature, and store.

BOOZEMONGERING: Infused Bacon Whiskey

Posted on January 31, 2013 by abourbongal

METHOD: INFUSED BACON WHISKEY (makes 1 quart)

In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, cook 1/2 lb. applewood-smoked bacon until most fat is rendered and bacon is crispy but not burnt. Try a peppered bacon if you like a snappy flavor. It’s your infusion, own it baby!

Add bacon drippings to a 1 quart Mason jar (or other wide-mouthed jar with a tight-sealing lid). Add a strip or two of bacon to the jar, if desired, and reserve the rest of your bacon for another use, like eating right there over the kitchen sink. Let drippings cool to room temperature before you add your booze.

Add enough Rye Whiskey or Bourbon to fill the jar and cover the bacon (just shy of 4 cups = 32 oz.)

Top shelf pick: High West Distillery Bou-Rye

Middle shelf: Bulleit Frontier Rye Whiskey

It’ll do just fine: Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon

I don’t recommend using Scotch or Irish Whiskey for this infusion – the flavors don’t meld well with the smokiness of the bacon and that’s a waste of good booze.

Let this jar sit at room temperature for a day or two, gently swirling the contents every 12 hours or so. Just before filtering, place the jar in the freezer for about an hour – this will help consolidate the solids. Filter your booze through a double-layer of cheesecloth, then again through an unbleached coffee filter. This what my filtering system looks like:

Decant into a clean quart jar or scrupulously clean recycled booze bottle. If well-filtered, this savory concoction will keep at room temperature for 6 months. In addition to making delicious toddies, smoked bacon whiskey is lovely over an ice cube or two at your next football tailgating party. Think about it: Booze. Bacon. High impact sporting events. Perfect.

A Bourbon Gal in Utah

DARBY DOYLE: food, booze & all things outdoors

Category Archives: Boozemongering (Methods)