Saffron G & T in Dessert Form

This is a little experiment I cooked up last night. 

The foundation was laid at a bar in Palma on the island of Mallorca, Spain.  First:

The Saffron
3oz Dry Gin
1 pinch Saffron, crushed
3 Green Cardamom Pods
6oz Tonic Water
Ice Cubes



The Saffron and
The Basil and Thyme Gin and Tonics.
At the Quinacreu Restaurant in Palma.

In a large rocks glass, combine gin, saffron and cardamom pods.  Stir thoroughly and let rest for at least 5 minutes.  Go do something else.  Relax--it'll still be here when you get back. 

Add ice and top with tonic water and stir gently.  Garnish with an orange twist. 

Carry it out to the veranda and sit down.  Sip. 

Ok, the drink is great and the yellow saffron adds not only an exciting color, but an amazing sweetly-warm flavor.  Can it be enhanced?  Shared?  Made into a dessert?

I love a challenge:

The Saffron G&T in a Gelatin Mold

7oz Dry Gin
2 pinches of Saffron, crushed
1 cup Water
1 cup Sugar
6 Green Cardamom Pods
1/2 cup Water
2 packets powder Gelatin
8oz Tonic Water

In a glass or glass measuring cup, put the saffron into the gin.  Stir and then let rest. 

In a small sauce pan, heat 1 cup of water, the sugar and the cardamom pods.  Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar melts, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 

While the sugar mixture is simmering, sprinkle the gelatin over the 1/2 cup water in a large bowl.  (Large enough to hold more than 4 cups of liquid.)  Let the gelatin "bloom" (absorb water).  No need to stir--just make sure there is enough surface area to evenly sprinkle the gelatin. 

Remove the cardamom pods, then stir the hot sugar mixture into the gelatin.  Stir for 5 minutes or until the gelatin is completely dissolved.  (If the gelatin still has lumps, pass once through a finemesh strainer.)  Put it into the refrigerator and let cool for 20 minutes. 

Add the gin and saffron mixture, as well as the tonic to the gelatin, stir briskly to add air bubbles (a pretty little visual treat) and pour into a gelatin mold.  Pop it back in the fridge and chill for 4 hours. 

The drama of dessert!

To remove the gelatin from the mold, soak the mold in a large bowl of hot water for 15 seconds.  Make sure the water doesn't pour over the edge and into the gelatin.  Remove from the water, put an inverted plate over the mold and quickly flip it all over.  The mold should lift right off. 

Slice and serve.  (Try it with pieces of dark chocolate.)

You Eat What? (A Reprint)

Some time ago, I wrote this little ditty for Studio Thirty Plus.  I don't really feel like writing something new this weekend, and since this is new to most of you, please enjoy.  (And if you've read this already, enjoy it again.  Or don't.  But I'd prefer it if you did.  My ego is fragile.)

At the request (or rather the e-equivalent of a double dog dare) of one of my newest Wordy friends, I posted a picture of me during a fire eating show.

It's dramatic.

Go ahead.  Take a gander. I'll give you a minute.

See?  Isn’t it great?

As soon as someone finds out I'm a fire eater, the inquiries naturally begin: "How did you start eating fire?" "Why fire eating?" “Doesn’t it hurt?” and, "What does your [mom/wife] think?"

My mom still shudders, but my wife loves it. In fact, that’s part of what convinced her to marry me. (Wife. Not mom. I don’t want pronoun trouble to lead you to the wrong conclusions. Not that my mom isn’t a very handsome woman. She is. I just don’t think of her that way.)  She (wife) had just broken up with her very nice boyfriend because there was no “magic.”  Her family questioned her judgment. But fire was exactly that spark we both needed to become something better.

Fire is more than it appears. Stare into a campfire. The flames lick the air in what is really a simple chemical reaction: super heated oxygen combines with carbon to release more heat, thereby converting more carbon, until the wood turns to charcoal and ultimately, ash. Other chemical impurities provide surprises of blues and greens to the orange flames. But the physical experience of fire only adds to the spiritual. I defy anyone with a soul to stare into the fire and not be transported to a time of our most ancient ancestors and the stories they told. In short, fire is magic.

I started eating fire in 1992, but the decision to eat it was made much, much earlier. At 12 years old, I visited the Ringling Bros. Circus and I was absolutely captivated by the fire eater. Flash forward a few years, living in the mountains of Colorado, still too young to drive, a rainy day and any friends were too far away for a walking visit. (Literally—not at all contrary to popular belief, until I learned to drive, I actually did ride a horse to get around.) My mom always had a rule, “If you’re bored, I’ll find something for you to do,” which really meant chores, and since that held NO interest for me, I made a list of all the things I wanted to do in my life before I died.  Fire eating was on that list. So was wilderness survival and walking on the moon, but I’ll save those for future blogs. 

In my senior year of college at Colorado State University, my roommate, Mike, was a celebrated artist. What he was not, was a celebrated scientist. He waited until his final semester to take any courses relating to science and then he stacked three of them back to back to back. Perhaps it was kismet, perhaps serendipity, but Mike’s chemistry professor had been a fire eater for Ringling Bros. Circus for nearly 30 years. When I found out, I stalked the professor back to his office. I shared with him my story, my longing, my aching to know the art of fire eating. He, in turn, grilled me for hours (pardon the pun), making certain that I was not a pyromaniac, and that indeed I wanted to perform for audiences. When he was satisfied, he simply said, “Meet me here tomorrow. Three o’clock.”

I had no idea of what to expect, but of course, I did what he asked. On arrival, and without greeting, he handed me a brass rod, one end wrapped in asbestos cloth and stated, without ceremony, “What the audience beholds is not what is happening. When well performed, there is little risk of immolation. Instead, the audience can enjoy one act in a show about a slow poisoning over the course of decades.” He then handed me a simple drinking glass filled half way with charcoal lighter fluid. He taught me how to move, how to ignite and how to extinguish. In fact, over the course of nearly 6 months, he taught me the true secrets of fire eating: knowing how to control the flame, how to give a good show, and knowing how much pain I can withstand.  My “graduation” was in front of members of the Fort Collins Fire Department.

So there it is. That's my story about fire eating. I still eat fire regularly—or as regularly as afforded. I enjoy it immensely and I still love the interplay with an audience.  So come join me. Watch while you can. After all, I may only have a few decades left.

And just because I love you all, a recipe:

Hot Buttered Rum Mix

1 stick Butter, softened

2 cups Brown Sugar (I like the molasses in the Dark Brown)

1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon grated Nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground Cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground Allspice

1/4 teaspoon Salt (if using unsalted butter)

In a mixing bowl, cream together all of the ingredients.  Pack into an airtight food storage container and refrigerate until firm.  (It will get very firm.)  The mix will keep for months in a well-sealed container.

Hot Buttered Rum

1 1/2 tablespoons Hot Buttered Rum Mix

1 1/2 oz Rum (Most recipes call for dark rum, but this is your cocktail.  Use whatever rum you like.)

Hot Water

Cinnamon Stick or Orange Twist for garnish

In a mug, combine the mix and the rum.  Add hot water to top it off.  Stir until the mix is dissolved.  Add garnish.  Cuddle up to your sweetie, sit in front of the fireplace and lose yourself in the magic of a lovely evening.

It's Got To Be 5 O'Clock Somewhere...

I don’t enjoy cooking. To me, sustenance cooking is possibly the most boring kind of cooking there is and it’s the kind of cooking that happens the most often. I just don’t like it. I hate it. I am uninspired.

This isn’t your usual friendly host.

This is his, “lovely bride,” his “better half,” his “beloved,” or any other examples by which he has referred to me in his previous blog posts.

Hello!

In the 16 years that my husband and I have been married, I have cooked dinner for the two of us 13 times. 13. Not a typo.  (I admit I might be the luckiest girl in the world.)  Now, that’s not to say that I can’t cook.  I can.  I am a firm believer in the adage that, “if you can read, then you can cook.” (But occasionally cooking by reading leads to food that’s less than inspired).  Plus, my first middle school teaching job was half art and half home economics, so I was responsible for teaching 30 pre-pubescent children how to cook without burning the school down.  Which I did.  I just don’t want to cook at home.

But “a marriage is a partnership,” and all that, and I want to continue to be fed in the manner that I have become accustomed to so I try to find ways of contributing to the evening meal.  More often than not I try to know what I want to eat for dinner that night so my "chef" has a direction he can follow.  I stay out of the way, as our little galley kitchen is too small for the both of us.  I can load a mean dishwasher.  And I like to drink.  Which initially doesn’t seem helpful to the dinner process, but it is the reason your usual blogger requested I take over this week’s blog.

Back story: My husband and I have a raspberry patch.  In fact, this patch is bigger than our kitchen.  When we moved into our home it was cute and small and manageable and I was excited to see it, remembering the raspberries that I lived across the street from when I was a child.  Now the patch is no longer manageable.  I say this in the midst of picking season so I might be a little spiteful, but in truth, next year I will need to be more ruthless in the thinning out of the bushes.  There are so many berries that picking for an hour and a half everyday keeps me just barely on top of supply.  We freeze many bags of berries.

A few years ago, when I was in a similar glut of berries, I went on an interweb search of things to do with raspberries other than jam, pie, and the other usual suspects.  I was to the point of looking for a recipe for facial scrub as we had had our fill of eating them and it seemed like a great idea, what with all those seeds.  No such luck.  But I did find a recipe for Raspberry Liqueur.  Thankfully it called for huge quantity of berries.  I made the first batch and that jug was the humble beginning of a bigger love of alcohol with stuff in it.

The cocktail has always had an air of sophistication and specialness about it.  Lucky for the cocktail, it has seen a renaissance in the recent years.  “Speakeasies” are popping up like Whack-A-Moles around the nation (which in itself is a bit of an oxymoron) and the general public is more inclined to pay handsomely for a bespoke cocktail.  Especially when the ingredients in them are as fleeting as the seasons they come from.  Green Russell, you know how I love you.  So what’s a girl to do if her purse isn’t as large as her love of good hooch?  Make her own, of course!

Infusions are the easiest to start with.  Pick a flavor or flavors you love (or an ingredient you have too much of), put it in a big glass jar, cover it with your chosen liquor and wait.  At this point a cool, dark room or cabinet is your friend.  The waiting is the hardest part, even though in this instance it’s only for a few days.  Soaking time is up to you.  Obviously the shorter the soak, the milder the flavors.  A great cheat sheet has been provided by DIY Cocktails by Marcia Simmons and Jonas Halpren.  Use it!  However a good point of reference is, generally speaking, one part ingredient to one part liquor, i.e. 1 Cup Raspberries to 1 Cup Vodka (just make sure the berries are totally covered).

Liqueurs are slightly more work, but infinitely sweeter.  Same general process as an infusion but with simple syrup added at the end. Soaking time increases from a few days to a few weeks or months.  During processing, I take the extra effort to push out as much of the juices prior to adding the simple syrup as possible, just to have as much yummy goodness as I can.  With liqueurs, the older the better! As they sit (if you can refrain from drinking them right away) the flavors mellow and develop.  A processed batch that is a year old is better than a processed batch that is new.  Lemoncello falls into this category, as well.

Bitters have excellently scary ingredients in them like Worm Wood and Gentian Root and are more my husband’s realm as I gave him all the necessary accoutrement for Christmas a little while ago.  We use them in our Manhattans and Rob Roys while we watch Mad Men and covet the furniture and clothes…

And then we are sort of out of my area of expertise.  I really have no desire to make my own beer, but would I one day like to have a still in a shack out back?  Hellz yes!  Who doesn’t remember the hotness of Bo and Luke Duke??!!  But for now I will settle for my basement looking a bit like a science lab, what with all the bottles of unidentifiable soaking in fluids.

What’s for Happy Hour

Sour Cherry-infused Vodka
Again, quantities are up to you.  We have a Sour Cherry tree in the back yard so I currently have A LOT of Cherries soaking.  Didn’t want the squirrels and birds to have all the fun.
2 Cups Sour Cherries
2 Cups Vodka (or Gin or Whiskey or Rum) Your favorite brand is fine, but don’t feel the need to buy top shelf.  In fact, now is the time to be frugal.  The cheaper the better.  Skol or some other brand of that nature is great.

Put the cherries in a clear, glass jar. Agitate daily. Wait 3+ days before drinking. You can sneak a nip every day or so to see what the flavors have done. But be careful you don’t nip it all away…

Simple Syrup
I like my simple syrup to sweeten up whatever infusion seems like it needs it. 1oz of simple syrup with 4 oz of the above Sour Cherry Infusion, with a couple dashes of Orange Bitters, shaken in a cocktail shaker tastes like Cherry Pie in a glass.

Most of the instructions you will find for making simple syrup say to combine 1 part sugar with 1 part water and bring to a boil, stirring until the fluid is clear. This process sucks for me as standing by a hot stove waiting for sugar to dissolve is uncomfortable and boring. Instead I use the same quantities (1 to 1) but instead of adding the sugar to the water at the beginning, I bring my water to a boil FIRST and then add the sugar. The granules melt much faster this way and you don’t have to be right on top of the heat the whole time. If I’m making the syrup in large batches to have on hand (it keeps in the refrigerator) I will add the sugar to the boiling water in increments, being sure the liquid turns clear before I add the next increment. 2 cups water plus 2 cups sugar make a little less than 4 cups of fluid. You can also add additional ingredients to the fluid to make flavored simple syrup. I have included a table spoon of Lavender to the 1 cup/ 1cup as I was melting/low boiling the sugar in the water. It is lovely in gin (or iced tea, but what fun is that?). You can also add fresh mint, great for a quick Mojito or Mint Julep. Basil could also be great. Store in the fridge in a glass jar with a lid.

Raspberry Liqueur
4 Cups Raspberries
4 Cups Vodka or Brandy or Vendome (a brandy and cognac blend)
2 Cups water
½ Cup Sugar

Put the berries and booze in a clear, glass jar being sure that the berries are covered by the liquid. Store in a cool, dark spot like your basement. Agitate occasionally for 4 to 6 weeks. Drain the fluid from the berries. I like to use my pasta pot with a built in, bowl sized colander for this. With a wooden spoon press out as much of the remaining juices/ alcohol as you can. The berries will pretty much turn to mush.

In a sauce pot boil the water. Add the sugar. Cool.

Note: this simple syrup is far less sweet than the recipe above but that’s ok as the berry juice is already pretty sweet.

When the simple syrup is cool stir into the berry juices. Store in a glass container. If you can wait another month before you drink it, like I mentioned earlier, it will just get better and better.

Alert!! Don’t throw those berries away!!  I like to use all the parts of my berries and let nothing go to waste. Matte and I have made milkshakes with boozy berries. Matte melted chocolate and made Vodka Raspberry Chocolate Bark simply by laying the berries out on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper, insuring there was enough space between the berries to allow the chocolate to act as a binding agent. He refridegerated it all for about an hour to have it set.

I’ve been long-winded but I hope you’ve enjoyed my contribution. See you in future posts, maybe…

H.

The Berlusconi

Like the beverage's namesake, this little gem is sweet, sour, bright in flavor, dusky in color and moody in temperament.  It'll charm the women and punch any man in the face.  Get ready for a Bunga-Bunga party!

The Berlusconi
3 oz Whiskey
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
3 dashes Frenet
3/4 teaspoon Elsa 12-year Balsamic Vinegar
Lemon Twist

Combine the liquid ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker.  Shake vigorously for 30 seconds.  Strain into chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lemon twist. 

This Is What It's Like When Worlds Collide

Green Russell. 

The name evokes a variety of questions: "What's that?"  "Who is that?" and "Did you say 'Green Muscles?'  I love mine in a nice white wine sauce."

But for those who know, the name Green Russell means a lot more. 

Imagine a cold winter's night:  The lights of the Big City reflect off the newly fallen snow.  We exit the cab and walk down an alley way to follow the signs to a pie shop.  Holding onto the frozen handrail, we cautiously descend a flight of stairs into a small pie shop store front.  Through another set of doors and we are in a warm, cozy, softly lit speakeasy.  But even for the costumes and ambiance, the real magic is yet to be revealed.

We give our names for the reservation and the hostess escorts us to our seats.  We pass low leather chairs with high seat backs in intimate little nooks.  There are no conventional tables as you would expect if you only ever visited chain restaurants or bars.  In fact, the hostess seats us in a prime location: the bar. 

Green Russell is "a chef driven cocktail joint."  We have Chris, our bartender, and share him with only two other couples while we're there.  Unusual to any bar, Chris is back lit by a large grow room, and while Colorado allows commercial growing of marijuana for medicinal use, I recognize the herbs growing in this grow room as something different: rosemary, thyme, oregano, Thai basil and lemon and lime trees. 

As IS usual at any great cocktail joint, the staff is warm and inviting.  Witty banter ensues.  The menus are presented and yes, there are some cocktails listed.  But we know better.  I tell Chris, "I put it in your hands.  I like scotch and bourbon--leather, smokey, woody flavors.  I make my own bitters at home, so I enjoy herbs and aromatics."

And then he made magic.

Each drink is custom created for the client's taste.  A bespoke cocktail, if you will.  From a time when "cocktail" meant something. 

We ordered house made potato chips with bleu cheese.  My brother had a layered drink of Bowmore 10 year Scotch, Fernette Branca and Absinthe.  I started off with a little number they called the George C Skag:  bourbon, black pepper simple syrup, cardamom bitters and lemon juice.  My wife enjoyed the most conventional drink: The Mile High Club--gin, yellow chartreuse, egg whites, and . . . other magic.  We each had three drinks that night, plus food and coffee.  I'll be honest with you.  The recipes got fuzzy.  Or maybe the recipes stayed the same and we got fuzzy.  Regardless, we had an incredible time.

When you go to Green Russell, there are a few rules you need to know.

1. No cell phones.  No calling, no texting, no checking in on Foursquare, no pictures.  The staff abides by this rule, and you will too.  Relax.  You will enjoy it.
2. The customer is always right.  The people who are taking care of you love you.  Love them back.
3. You will pay for the privilege.  Perfection isn't cheap.  It's not excessive, but the value is exactly as it should be.  And don't forget to tip. 
4. Take a cab.  If you have enjoyed yourself appropriately, you should not drive.    Everyone will love you more for being smart.

So this is what it's like when old and new come together.  Retro attention to detail and modern stylings.  I would love to show you pictures, but . . . see Rule #1. 

And Chris, thank you.  Very much.

Tonight, for a pre-dinner cocktail try:

Cloister
1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/4 oz Superfine Sugar

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lemon twist. 


Man of War
1 1/2 oz Bourbon
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lime twist.


Samurai
1 oz Triple Sec
1 oz Vodka
1 oz Sake
1 oz Lemon Juice

Pour over ice in a highball glass and stir.

Paradise by the Kitchen-Stove Light

First, I have to apologize to all of my sensitive readers.  Today's topic is very adult.  I should probably apologize to all of my other readers, too, because it's probably not very well written. But if you're still reading, I will try to make up for it.  I promise. 

Many foodies have written about aphrodisiacs and they all talk about the same things: what are the various aphrodisiacs, whether aphrodisiacs really work and sometimes (rarely), how to prepare aphrodisiacs. I may bump into a couple of these topics, but it'll probably be more on accident.  Today, I want to bring sexy back to food.  Think of me as Emeril Lagasse's and Dr. Ruth Westheimer's brain child.  Or love child: noisy and a little uncomfortable to watch.

Lets get it out there: the biggest sex organ is the brain.  Boys and girls, if you can't stimulate this, you're not going to have much hope with second or third bases, let alone a home run.  (Mixing metaphors here.  Let's see how it goes.)  Women admittedly have it easier than men.  (Good example: H and I were driving home last night and drove by a topless sports bar.  The natural conversation ensued:

H: What's so great about boobs?  If you had the same sports bar without boobs, would it be as good?
Me: Boobs make it better. 
H: Why? 
Me: Because boobs make it better.  If I had Buffalo wings and could see boobs, or I could have Buffalo wings and not have boobs flouncing by, I would definitely choose with boobs.
H: Do you ever get over saturated with seeing boobs?  
Me: Sometimes, but then I'd still have the sports to keep me entertained.
H: I think if I had a shopping mall with penis or a mall without, I'd be indifferent, at best. In fact, I'd probably choose the one without.
Me: That's because boobs aren't the same as penis. They aren't even on the same continuum.  What else do you enjoy looking at? 
H: Shoes.  But I want to buy the shoes and take them home.  Is that how you feel about the boobs?
Me: Not exactly.
H: Diamonds then.
Me:  Maybe.  Closer. 
H: It'd be like me shopping at Cartier. 
Me: Yes.  Exactly like that. 
H: But I want to bring Cartier home with me, too.
Me: Then it's almost nothing like Cartier.  *pause, thinking* They are more like the Hope Diamond. 
H: How so?
Me: The boobs are very pretty to look at, but you can't touch.  And frankly, I wouldn't want all the drama that comes with fancy boobs or the Hope Diamond.  But I'm still happy that both are there. 
H: So I'm more like your Cartier and not the Hope Diamond. 
Me: Right.
H: I can live with that.

So, anyway where was I?  Oh yeah.  Food blog.  Aphrodisiacs.  Baseball.)  Women can appeal to a man's visual cortex and she'll often have her way.  Men need to get more creative.  Romance, wooing, a little more effort applied.  I think this is where aphrodisiacs come into play.  Chocolate covered strawberries, for instance, demonstrate a bit more effort than going out to Olive Garden.  One shows intimacy, specialness and consideration for your loved one.  The other says, "I don't want you to do the dishes, but I don't want to do them, either." 

So what foods are aphrodisiacs, then?  How about almost anything that is intended to be an aphrodisiac.  Phallic-looking asparagus?  Sure.  Sliced fruit?  You bet!  A ham sandwich?  Um, not if she's Kosher, but get ready, if you are charming Mama Cass.  Gravitate to food that sweetens your breath, that doesn't get stuck in your teeth, that can be eaten with your fingers and even better, fed to your paramour.  Unusual, out of the ordinary.  Think about the 9 1/2 Weeks refrigerator scene. Was it hot because Micky Rourke and Kim Bassinger were in various states of undress?  Or was it hot because it was outrageous and devil-may-care?  (OK, maybe a little of both.)

For the basics on aphrodisiacs, check out Gourmet Sleuth.  Lots of history and a few recipes. 

And for a light erotic dinner:

The TLC
Sparkling wine (chilled)
Rum (dark or spiced is good)
Cointreau
Passion Fruit Nectar (chilled)


In a pitcher or shaker, combine 1 part rum, 1 part Cointreau, 3 parts wine and 2 parts passion fruit nectar.  Stir twice to mix. 


Serve in a champagne flute garnished with a strawberry.  (First Base, here we come!)


Crab and Avocado Salad
1  large ripe Avocado
1 cup Lump Crab meat, cooked and cooled
1/2 cup diced Celery
Salt and Pepper
1 teaspoon fresh Taragon
2 tablespoons Olive Oil (use the good stuff here)
1 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
2 wedges of Lemon

In a glass bowl, mix the crab, celery, salt and pepper (to taste), tarragon, olive oil and vinegar.  Mix well, by hand.  Let stand, covered in the refigerator for an hour, stirring occasionally.

When ready to serve, slice the avocado in half length-wise and remove the pit (leave the skins on, however).  With a spoon, carve about a 1/4 inch more from around the pit hole, making more of a bowl.  Spoon in the crab salad, and serve with a wedge of lemon. 


Fresh Fruit Ideas
Mango
Berries of every kind
slices of Pear or Apple
slices of Peaches
Orange wedges
Champagne Grapes
Cherries

Think about dipping sauces, too.  Caramel, honey, whipped cream, clotted cream and chocolate are all extra tantalizing.


Use that big sexy brain of yours.  I bet you can come up with some great ideas of your own.  Swing for the fences and before you know it, you'll be rounding third and sliding into home.  (Nailed that metaphor!  Woohoo!)

A New Hand at an Old Friend

The digestif known as bitters flavors a number of cocktails, not least of which is my favorite, the Manhattan. Angostura makes the most famous brandname, but many recipes exist for making bitters and some of these can be found online. I tried an orange bitters recipe a little while back with good, but not perfect, results. So I wanted to give it another whirl, this time with my own flavors.

I have a guess as to what flavors I want, and I know with certainty what I don't. The problem with the orange bitters recipe as written: the alcohol is too strong leaving an antiseptic aftertaste. I want something richer, deeper, bolder and a little more complex. Something with hint of spice. We took a trip to Boulder, to our spice shop and apothecary.

Spice shops for me are like candy shops for little children. The apothecary jars filled with rich, exotic spices which promise such wonders, but with a Mona Lisa smile hinting at the mysteries still to be unlocked. Oh! And the aroma! Even walking on the sidewalk past the door, the fragrance calls to me like a siren's song. Savory Spice Shop certainly delivers on every wonderful promise.

When you go to a spice shop, open the jars and get a good whiff of the flavor. Experience how the spice hits the nose--is it all bright, in the nostrils? Or does it hit the back of the throat? You can get a great sense of how something will taste just from its smell. This is good when you are creating your own new recipe. Also, ASK FOR HELP. Savory's staff is knowledgeable and very friendly and was, frankly, very patient with me. What is the difference between California and Turkish bay leaves? Star anise and anise seed? This clove vs that clove? How do these flavors mix? If this was the type of flavor you were going for, what else would you try?


For the bitters I'm working toward, I know I want to start with Whiskey as the base and Rosemary as the central element, so I am looking for a deep supporting cast. Juniper Berries to add another complimentary evergreen flavor; California Bay Leaves to deepen the complexity while adding a slight minty brightness; Star Anise and toasted Cardamon Pods to add sweetness. And I use Wormwood Extract instead of Gentian Root Extract to keep the bitterness more herbal rather than woody.

This is absolutely a work in progress. I'll give you the recipe and let you know how it goes. 2 weeks.




Rosemary Bitters

750ml Canadian Club 100 Proof
about 10-12 inches of fresh Rosemary sprigs (I used the tips of our Rosemary plant)
4 leaves Organic California Bay Leaves
10 Juniper Berries, lightly crushed
6 Green Cardamom Pods, toasted in a skillet
3 stars Star Anise
20 drops Wormwood Extract

Combine all ingredients in an airtight glass jar. (Lets keep it clean, people. Wash it well, first.) Swirl the concoction around immediately and then every other day for 2 weeks. When not shaking it, store it in a cool, dark place.

After 2 weeks, strain for big chunks, then filter through a water filter (I use a Britta). Bottle in a VERY clean bottle, seal, and if you can stand it, let it rest for another 2 weeks to develop flavors.

Serve a shot over ice, or combine into your favorite cocktail.
Orange Bitters
This recipe is pretty good and the flavor has certainly improved over the past 2 weeks since making it. No one told me to store it before consuming. I highly recommend this last step. (Credit to Chow.com for this one.)

750 ml Everclear 151
1/2 lbs dehydrated Orange Peel
1 teaspoon Fennel Seed
1/2 teaspoon Coriander
4 Cardamom Pods
20 drops Gentian Extract

Combine all ingredients in a very clean, glass jar with an airtight lid. Shake well and store in a cool, dark locale. Shake it every other day.

At the end of 2 weeks, strain and filter. (See recommendation above.) I HIGHLY RECOMMEND letting some of it sit for another 2 weeks before using.
The Manhattan

8 count pour of Bourbon
2-4 count pour of Sweet Vermouth
1-2 count pour of Orange Bitters (above)
Garnish
Combine Bourbon, Vermouth, & Bitters in a cocktail shaker, over ice. Shake vigorously, strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish with a Maraschino Cherry, Orange Twist, Orange Slice or Lemon Twist.

(For those who were never bartenders nor had a bartender as a BFF, a 1 count pour is a less-than-one-second count with a bar pourer in the mouth of the bottle. A 4 count pour is about 1 1/2 oz of a liquid.)

Now, go entertain yourself. We are laughing uproariously over FUpenguin. Unless you are my Mom. Then you should still look at this link and laugh. It's funny, with strong language and irony. I'm still going to church.