Category Archives: Cocktails

Rhubarb Collins

Cocktails, Recipe, , ,

Rhubarb-Infused Gin

1-2 stalks of rhubarb
1 cup gin

  • Cut rhubarb into 1/4″ slices and put in a jar with tight-fitting lid
  • Add gin to jar, which should just cover rhubarb, and fasten lid
  • Refrigerate for several days, shaking occasionally
  • Strain rhubarb from gin

Rhubarb Collins

jigger rhubarb-infused gin
half jigger simple syrup
juice from 1/2 lime
ice cubes

  • Combine all ingredients in cocktail shaker and shake vigorously
  • Strain into a glass and add club soda to taste

Fruit of the Week: Quince

Cocktails, Food,
Photo: Rhododendrites

We decided to start trying random produce that we’ve never had before, in theory picking one each week at the grocery store or wherever.  The first one we tried is quince — which look a lot like pears, and are a lot like pears, except that they need to be cooked before they are edible.

Trust me on this — I read that they were tough and astringent before cooking, but decided to eat a tiny chunk when preparing them, and it was so mouth-puckeringly terrible that I had to spit it out and rinse my mouth out.

But once cooked, they are very much like pears.  We had them for breakfast as a topping for biscuits, with some of the syrup.

Poached Quince

3 quinces, peeled, cored and sliced
4 cups water
1½ cups sugar
1 stick cinnamon
5 cloves
3 orange slices

  • Peel quinces with a potato peeler, then cut quince flesh off the core by slicing slightly off center.  Note: to prevent discolor
  • Dissolve sugar in water and bring to a simmer.
  • Add remaining ingredients

But we kept most of the syrup to make cocktails with:

Quince Collins

1½ oz. dry gin
1½ oz. quince syrup
juice from ½ lime
ice
6 oz. club soda

Gin vs. Gin

Cocktails,

Gin and tonic is one of my favorite cocktails, but our first gin drink is the simpler Gin Fizz – gin, soda water, and lime, all shook up with ice:

IMG_5263

We had two gins on hand, Hendricks and Plymouth. I’m partial to gins with character, and am particularly partial to Uncle Val’s. But, The 12 Bottle Bar recommended getting a dry gin, and so I went out and got a bottle of Plymouth to experiment with. Yay for an excuse to buy more gin! Redbeard and I decided we’d try Hendricks and Plymouth head to head, and so I mixed up a Gin Fizz with each. The verdict? There was definitely a difference, though not as dramatic as we’d predicted. To me, the Plymouth created a drink that tastes like summer – clean, crisp, with a clear lovely lime. The Hendricks was also very good, though – clearly dry gin is not strictly required for a good gin fizz. It was warmer to me; Redbeard characterized it as ‘well-rounded’.

New adventures in advanced drinking

Cocktails, ,

We recently acquired a copy of The 12 Bottle Bar, and it has inspired me (Wind) to start approaching cocktails in a way similar to the somewhat systematic way we’ve approached beer, with the goal this time of building up a small but select repertoire of excellent drink options.

So, armed with a few basics (Boston shaker, citrus juicer, 2oz jigger), I’ve started to put together drinks beyond the occasional haphazard rum-and-cherry-coke-zero and beloved gin and tonic.

First up, the Waldorf:

IMG_5251

This is a boozy combination of Grand Marnier, sweet vermouth and grenadine, all shook up with ice. Despite usually drinking liquor that’s largely cut with something, I found this to be pretty tasty. I’m still getting the hang of the Boston shaker, worried that I’m going to break the glass as I wiggle it free of the metal cup. But, otherwise this was an easy beginning.

We already have store-bought grenadine on hand, but I’m looking forward to making my own when it runs out.