The Fernet-laced Hanky Panky from Mixologist Kevin Diedrich of Jasper’s Corner Tap & Kitchen - San Francisco, CA

During my trip to the Bay Area last October, I was surprised to find out that Fernet is a cult San Francisco barkeepers drink. I’m no booze expert, but I worked in restaurants for years, and have since interviewed tons of mixologists. How did this fact escape me?

Disregarding my ignorance, I was happy to find out because I love Fernet, a bitter Italian digestive similar to an amaro. Made from over 40 herbs, spices, and other ingredients, the liquor is aged in oak barrels to develop its distinct herbaceous flavor. And believe me it’s distinct, one part menthol, one part acid bomb. Some hate it, but apparently San Francisco loves it: mixologists there have been throwing back shots of the bitter for years and it’s said the Bay Area accounts for 25 percent of Fernet Branca sales in the U.S. alone.

Lucky for me, we tasted a number of Fernet-spiked drinks during our trip, including Kevin Deidtrich’s seductive Hanky Panky at Jasper’s Corner Tap and Brian Means’ lovely ode to the drink at the Fifth Floor. We also learned about a slew of new Fernets coming onto the market, including the lovely Leopold Fernet from Denver-based distiller Leopold Brother’s.

Read all about my Fernet exploration in my latest feature for StarChefs.com. What do you think about Fernet? Love it? Hate it?

I’m eating my fill of watermelon as the summer ends, and one of my current favorites is this simple cocktail. Mezcal, an earthy liquor made from roasted and fermented aloe juice, had a distinct smoky flavor and is often used in heavier drinks (or sipped straight up in its native-setting, Mexico). Although the spirit has gained recent popularity, the mezcal industry is still on the smaller side. Unlike its more commercial cousin tequila (also made from fermented aloe, but not roasted or smoked), whose popularity has led to large commercial production and marketing campaigns, artisan distillers still make the majority of the mezcals in Mexico, producing a variety of nuanced, intensely flavored spirits.

This combination of sweet watermelon juice and mezcal makes for a funky sip, enhanced with a touch of spicy salt on the rim. It’s an easy drinking kind of cocktail, a sort of grown-up margarita, and it’s perfect for the last few hot weeks of summer.

Watermelon-Mezcal Punch
Serving: 1 drink
2 ounces tequillo blanco
2 ounces fresh watermelon juice
½ ounce mezcal
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon simple syrup
Chili salt

Combine the tequila, watermelon juice, mezcal, lime juice, and syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain and pour into a glass lined with chili salt.

I saw some juicy cherries at the market a few weeks ago and I couldn’t help but snatch a bunch. Cherries are a fruit I grew up with, a snack my family regularly enjoyed after dinner throughout the summer. I can easily eat a bag on my own, but I also love them in everything from rich chocolate desserts to crisp strudel. And I’ve spent hours pitting them in restaurants, cutting into their juicy skin to remove the center, desperately trying to keep my chefs coat white.

My fondest cherry memory is the day I spent picking them. TH and I were working on a goat farm in Southern France, and we drove to a neighbor’s foie gras farm, one that happened to have a giant cherry tree. The low hanging fruit was picked through, but everything else was ours for the taking. We spent hours with Cyril, the goat farmer who was training us in French living that week, climbing up rickety ladders with baskets, picking cherries and eating our fill the whole time. By the end, my stomach was as sore as my arms!

We spent the last of the afternoon hours back on the goat farm, pitting the cherries with Cyril’s wife Ted. Somehow I still managed to eat a few more, so excited for this taste at fresh, straight-from-the-tree cherries. And although the couple froze most of the fruit for the winter, I used several handfuls for a cherry strudel to go along with lunch the next day. Food was simple on this farm, hearty meals of their goat cheese, homemade bread, and vegetables from the garden, but I wanted to give them a treat, something to say thank you for the experiences they gave us. I can still remember eating the strudel, explaining how I learned to make the European dessert in Los Angeles. After a long day of hard work on the farm, we were all happy for something sweet.

I still love making and eating that strudel, but with a full bar cabinet (thanks to a our recent cocktail birthday party for TH), I had something stronger on my mind for my most recent cherry find. After infusing them into a bright syrup, I mixed up a Manhattan, subbing Cynar for the bitters. The combination of the earthy, vegetal Cynar and the sweet cherry syrup made for a highly approachable, easily drinkable pour. And the flavors, a little rough and little  sweet, reminded me of that day on the farm. The syrup is easy to make, and works just as well on fresh vanilla ice cream or in a salad, so try a batch the next time you find cherries at your market.
more …

Mulberries are in season! Whether you forage them yourself (as I did last weekend), or find them at the farmers market, use them while you can. In their darkest hue, these berries are wildly sweet, fragrant, and incredibly juicy. The lighter purple and red berries are a bit more tart and firm. A mixture of the sweeter and tart berries makes a wonderful crumble or pie, and I’m itching to try them out in a filling for homemade pop tarts.

And this pretty cocktail is an easy way to enjoy the bright, rich flavor of the darkest berries. A dash of chamomile liquor adds floral notes, while a healthy pour of gin helps cut the sweetness. You can also swap the mulberries for blueberries or raspberries. It’s a great summer cocktail, the kind that makes you want to sit on a porch all day, watching the day go by and drinking a Mulberry Sipper.

more …

I’ve had a thing for tiki drinks lately. San Francisco’s Smuggler’s Cove is by far one of my favorite bars, and I’ve been itching for a trip to New York’s Lani Kai since I arrived in September. So when my good friend Matthew invited us to his housewarming party a few weeks ago, my mind shot directly to making a pitcher of sunny tropical drinks to share. It didn’t hurt that I was also reading Bon Appetit’s March issue at the time, and was inspired by the simple and lovely Queen’s Park  Swizzle.

Starting out, I infused some dark rum with orange zest and cinnamon overnight. To that I added simple syrup, lime juice, and mint. The recipe also calls for orgeat, an almond-infused syrup used heavily in tiki concoctions. I didn’t have time to whip up a batch, and my local bar store was out, but Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters (infused with cinnamon, allspice, and paprika) made a lovely replacement. Swirl the mixture around and pour over crushed ice, and you have a slightly sweet, spicy, and tart cocktail. And our ever-expanding bar continued to grow with the addition of a few bar staples–Peychaud’s and Angostura–used to top of the drink with a bright red flourish. Garnish with mint and a long straw, and you have tiki magic. Light and floral, it’s a great way to celebrate, housewarmings or the coming sunshine!

more …

TH and I ventured out into our new neighborhood this week, finally checking out one of the bars that’s been on my list for quite awhile, The Shanty. Annexed with The New York Distilling Company, this dark, industrial bar/tasting room offers a large window view into their production area, cocktails topped off with house gin and a few booze-laced bar snacks, making the whole operation a pleasant stop along the Williamsburg route.

And it’s no wonder the booze part is right­­­. Partners Tom Potter and Allen Katz have years of experience in the business: Potter co-founded Brooklyn Brewery in 1987 and Katz is the director of Spirits Education and Mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits of New York. Distilling in urban New York is steeped in history (the earliest stills in Brooklyn date back to the 1700s), and Potter and Katz formed the company as a premiere craft distillery much in the same tradition and craft. The company currently produces two varieties of gin—the Dorothy Parker, blended with elderberries and hibiscus, and the Perry’s Tot, an aromatic over-proof Navy Strength gin.

While The Shanty serves their traditional Tom Collins and Gin and Tonics with the Perry’s Tot, we particularly liked the Sauvetage, a bright drink made with the more floral Dorothy Parker. A refreshing sip, the drink combines Carpano Antica sweet vermouth, tart grapefruit juice and a bit of spice from Bittermen’s Amère Nouvelle. And while the gin drinks were easy to drink and enjoy, I’m especially excited that the company is currently working on an American Rye Whiskey. As if anyone needed another reason to hang out in Williamsburg.

The Details:
The Shanty
79 Richardson Street, Brooklyn NY
718-878-3579
http://nydistilling.com
Open nightly from 5pm-2am

Sip on the last of summer’s fruit with this refreshing, citrus-packed cocktail.

Sweet blueberries hit their prime as summer nears its end, and what better way to savor their tart flavor then in a cordial you can enjoy all through the fall? Making infused liquors is quite easy, and a great way to use up over-ripe fruit and scraps. Just soak berries, or any leftover fruit, in a quick simple syrup, then mix into vodka and let sit for a few weeks. And packed full of citrus and fresh mint, the smash has quickly become a favorite cocktail of mine. Chicago’s French-inspired Maude’s Liquor Bar creates this tipple with a variety of liquors, including the delightful smokey violet combination, but using a house-made blueberry vodka is just as sweet.

Blueberry Liquor
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
8 oz blueberries
1 lemon, zest removed in larger slices using a peeler or paring knife
1 handle vodka or high-proof clear liquor

1. Place the water and sugar in a small, heavy-duty pot and bring to boil. Add the blueberries and lemon zest and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour into a large jar and allow to cool completely.

2. Pour the vodka over the blueberry syrup once it has cooled. Place in the refrigerator and let sit for three weeks. Strain through cheesecloth and a fine mesh strainer and store in a sealable container, in the freezer.

Blueberry Smash
2 large pieces of orange zest
2 large pieces of lemon zest
3 fresh mint leaves
1.5 oz blueberry vodka
1.5 oz soda water
Blueberries for garnish

1. Muddle the mint and zest in a cocktail shaker. Add the vodka and shake vigorously over ice.

2. Strain over ice into a rocks glass. Top off with soda water and garnish with mint and blueberries.

This silky rum cooler is the surest way to beat the summer’s heat.

With the creamy sweetness of dessert, a hint of cinnamon and a good kick of rum, this Mexican-style drink is just the thing to drink alongside grilled sausages or at a summer picnic. It’s fairly low maintenance — just steep the almonds, rice, cinnamon and water overnight, then combine with the milk, cream, sugar and rum. The drink is best made with Mexican cinnamon, a slightly sweeter and more aromatic version. For a sweeter drink, substitute the cream and 1 cup sugar for a can of condensed milk; for a nutty twist, use part coconut milk.

Horchata cooler, serves four
2/3 cup medium- or long-grain rice
1/3 cup toasted, blanched almonds
1 cinnamon stick, toasted, plus extra for garnish
3 cups water
2 cups whole milk
1 cup cream
2 cup sugar
8 ounces dark rum

1. Put the rice, almonds and cinnamon in a bowl. Simmer the water, pour over the ingredients and cool. Cover and let sit for at least five hours, or overnight.

2. Place mixture in a blender and buzz until as smooth as possible. Strain through a cheesecloth lined strainer, pressing the solids with the back of a spoon.

3. Bring a small portion of milk to a simmer and add the sugar. Simmer for several minutes until sugar is melted. Combine the strained liquid, sugar milk, and the rest of milk and cream. Mix well and chill. Add rum to taste and pour into a pitcher or individual glasses. Top glasses with shaved cinnamon.

With tangy lemon granita and sweet rhubarb soda, this refreshing elixir celebrates one of spring’s first delights.

Like many enthusiastic cooks, I find myself enamored with a new item at the farmer’s market every spring. A few years ago it was dates: Early in the season I was attracted to the crisp texture of raw Khalal dates, and would nibble through half a container before leaving the market. As they softened into cloying mushy jewels, I whipped up earthy date ice cream and added them to cake batter. Another year I couldn’t get enough of the many varieties of Southern Californian persimmons. From crunchy fuyus to soft and smooth hachiyas, my desserts became laced with persimmon custard, mousse and ganache.

But even I am surprised at my newest infatuation. An item I have longed loathed since first cooking it into tart filling at Spago, I suddenly have the tangy taste of rhubarb on my mind. It’s early spring appearance often makes rhubarb a pastry chef’s best friend, who, after a long fruitless winter, is ready for the first signs of flavorful life. But inspired by everything from the rhubarb spiked Commandotroepen cocktail I sipped at Chicago’s Sable to David Rodriguez’s pillowy rhubarb creation at Red Medicine in Los Angeles, the earthy vegetable is quickly becoming my go-to ingredient.

Most commonly used in pie fillings, rhubarb has just as many savory applications as sweet ones. It makes a a wonderful chutney alongside meats and can be shaved into salads for a tangy surprise. Making use of the beautiful cooking liquid that results when poaching rhubarb for tarts or crumbles, this take on a frozen drink can be a wildly tart, refreshing dessert or a brilliant way to liven up your cocktail hour. But rhubarb is only available a short while (from late April through mid-June), departing just as stone fruit and berries start to really ripen, so make sure to grab it while you can.

Rhubarb float, serves 2
For the lemon granita:
2 cups fresh, strained lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar

For the rhubarb syrup:
5 stalks fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups water
1 orange
1-inch piece ginger, cut into thin slices
1 vanilla bean, pod cut in half and scraped, or 1/1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 L Soda or tonic water

1. For the granita: Pour a small amount of the lemon juice and the sugar into a small pot and bring to a boil. Combine with the remaining lemon juice and pour into a small container. Freeze.

2. For the rhubarb: Combine the sugar, water, vanilla and ginger in a small sauce pot. Add the zest and juice of the orange. Bring to a boil and add the rhubarb. Cover and reduce to a simmer, cooking for about 5 minutes, until rhubarb is just slightly tender. Remove the rhubarb using a slotted spoon and chill, reserving for pie or tart filling. Strain and chill the liquid separately.

3. To assemble: When lemon liquid is completely frozen, use a fork to scrape or shave the ice. Place back in freezer. Combine 1 cup rhubarb liquid with soda water, and shake carefully to combine. Fill glasses with lemon granita and top with rhubarb soda. Add pieces of rhubarb if desired.

For a refreshing cocktail on the hottest days of summer, try this Bermudian classic, made with homemade ginger ale.

During the humid, hot days of summer, nothing is better than a cocktail. Start with homemade ginger ale, refreshing all on its own. Spiked with orange and lemon zest, this easy to make soda is bound to become a kitchen staple. Whisk together some yeast, sugar, grated ginger and citrus juice and in a few days you’ll be drinking your own homemade spirit. Add a bit of lime juice and some dark rum, and you have the making’s to the perfect summer drink. Cheers!

Ginger Ale
1 1/2 cups organic sugar
3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger root
1 lemon, zested into thin, long slices, and juiced
1 large orange, zested into thin, long slices and juiced
1/2 teaspoon bakers yeast
3 L water (room temperature)
3.5 L Glass bottle or pitcher that is seal-able (so carbonation can occur)

1. Place the sugar and yeast in the bottle and mix to combine thoroughly. Add the orange and lemon juice together in a small bowl, and whisk in the grated ginger. Pour into the sugar/yeast mixture and add the zest. Mix completely. Add the water. Stir well to combine.

2. Close container and place in a cool, dark place for 48 hours. Open and check for desired carbonation. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours and enjoy!

Dark and Stormy
3 oz rum (traditionally this drink is made with Gosling’s Black Seal rum, but any dark rum will do)
6 oz ginger ale (dark and stormy’s are traditionally made with ginger beer, which is a spicier version of ginger ale. If you don’t make your own, I suggest purchasing a good ginger beer, such as Fentimans Ginger Beer or Reed’s Ginger Beer)
2 1/2 tbsp lime syrup (add 1/2 cup lime juice to 1/2 cup sugar and bring to a boil, chill before use)
1 tbsp lime juice
lime wedges
ice

1. Combine the rum, ginger ale, syrup and lime juice. Stir and pour over ice. Garnish with lime wedge.