Sip the Light Fantastic

Last week, I was pleased to be asked by Marx Foods to participate in a cocktail recipe contest using sechuan buttons as an ingredient.  I'd never heard of this ingredient, but I was intrigued.  It turns out that sechuan buttons are flower buds that can create a tingling sensation on your tongue and lips when you eat them.  Originating in Asia and Africa, they are also known as the electric flower.

Once I received the sample package (with a warning label to eat at your own risk!), my husband and I took little tastes by pinching off just a few petals.  To me, it had a subtle herbal flavor, and I thought it felt like eating Pop Rocks candy without the physical popping sensation, just the tingling feeling on my tongue and lips.  My husband said it tasted like electricity, as though he licked an electric socket.

And then, I got to work...

First I decided to infuse some soju with the flowers.  Soju, if you recall, is an Asian style vodka.  I crumbled the petals of 2 flowers into about 8 oz of soju and let it sit about 36 hours in a sealed container.

Soju Socket
Makes 1 drink

3 oz sechuan button infused soju
1 1/2 oz ginger syrup
ice
candied ginger

Put soju, ginger syrup, and ice in a cocktail shaker.  Shake until chilled.  Strain into glass and garnish with candied ginger.

To make ginger syrup - Take a 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peel, and cut into large chunks.  Put it in a saucepan with 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water, stirring to combine.  Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.  When mixture boils, reduce heat and simmer until sugar is completely dissolved and syrup is slightly thickened.  This usually takes about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat, discard ginger, and let cool.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Tasting Note:  The sechuan buttons created a mild herbal flavor in the soju that is not detected by all, but I felt the tingle on my lips and tongue and it made a nice combination with the bite of the ginger.


Buzz of the Green Fairy
Makes 1 drink

1/4 oz absinthe
2 oz rye whiskey
1 to 2 dash bitters
sugar
petals of one sechuan button
lemon wedge
ice

Cover a small plate with superfine sugar and sprinkle with the petals of one sechuan button.   Using the lemon wedge, moisten the rim of a glass, and then with the sugar and petal mixture.  Place in freezer to chill.

Coat the inside of your chilled glass with absinthe, discarding excess.  Add ice.  Pour in rye whiskey and a drop or two of bitters.  Serve.

Tasting Note:  This drink is best if you make sure to take a sip on sugared part of rim.  The petals will definitely give your lips a little buzz.


Manhattan Cherry Bomb
Makes 1 drink


3 oz bourbon
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
splash of maraschino cherry juice
ice

1 sechuan button

1 maraschino cherry

In shaker, place ice, bourbon, sweet vermouth, and splash of cherry juice.  Shake well until chilled.  Pour into glass and serve straight up or on the rocks, like my husband prefers.

Pluck the bud of a sechuan button flower and push into a maraschino cherry.  Garnish glass and prepare your taste buds!

Tasting Note:  Wow!  My tongue, inside cheeks, and throat all became numb when I ate the button-stuffed cherry.  It was a striking combination of sweet and bitter flavors that lasted for quite some time.

So What Cocktails

I wanted a special cocktail for our Korean feast a few weeks back, and my friend Virginia suggested using a distilled drink called soju.

I had never heard of this beverage and I imagined going to the local liquor store and having the following exchange.  (You should hear a Texas twang inside your head for this.)  Me: “Hi, I’m looking for a bottle of soju.  Do you have it?”  Liquor store clerk: “So what?”  Me: “Soooo jew.”  Liquor store clerk:  “Huh.  Never heard of it.”

Soju is a distilled beverage from Korea.  It is clear in color and tastes similar to vodka, but it is lower in alcohol content, usually 25 to 45% ABV.  Traditionally soju was made from rice, but you can now see it distilled from other grains and starches.  Even though it is commonly drunk neat in shot glasses, I wanted to mix it up a bit.

It just so happened that the very weekend I decided to create a soju cocktail we went to dinner with our friends Chris and Jennifer.  We learned that Chris has become something of a liquor connoisseur and because my husband and I enjoy drinking alcohol, thinking about alcohol, and talking about alcohol, the conversation quickly turned to Chris’s expanded focus on liquor. 

I asked Chris if he could recommend a liquor store that might have hard-to-find items.  Chris asks what in particular I’m seeking.  I don’t expect him to have heard of it, so I say I’m looking for an Asian distilled beverage called soju.  Just as I am about to launch into an explanation of what has been shared with me by Virginia, he says oh, I think I have three cases of that.  I’m pretty sure my mouth fell open at this point.  I can only hope I didn’t embarrass myself too badly.  Luckily, Jennifer has known me a long time and that certainly wouldn’t have been the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done in front of her.  Once, my jaw started working again, I asked him where he got it.  He offers instead to give me a few bottles.

Well, we’ve enjoyed experimenting with our bottles of soju.  Thanks, Chris!

Soju Gingertini
Makes 1

3 oz soju
1 1/2 oz ginger syrup
ice
lemon peel

Put soju, ginger syrup, and ice in a cocktail shaker.  Shake until chilled.  Strain into glass and garnish with lemon twist.

To make the ginger syrup - Take a 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peel, and cut into big chunks.  Put it in a saucepan with 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water, stirring to combine.  Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.  When mixture boils, reduce heat and simmer until sugar is completely dissolved and syrup is slightly thickened.  This took me about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat, discard ginger, and let cool.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Pom Soju Cooler
Makes 1 drink

2 oz soju
4 oz pomegranate juice
1/2 tsp honey
ice
lemon slice for garnish

Pour soju and pomegranate juice over ice.  Stir in honey.  Garnish with lemon slice.

Gingerbread Soju

Makes 1 drink

1 1/2 oz soju
3 oz ginger syrup
ice
cinnamon sugar
dash of allspice
cinnamon stick

Pour soju and ginger syrup in an ice-filled shaker.  Shake until chilled.  Strain and pour into a cinnamon sugar rimmed glass.  Add dash of allspice and garnish with cinnamon stick.

Blackberry Cocktails

A perfectly ripe blackberry is a beautiful and delicious thing.  Blackberries are reaching their peak here in the Washington, DC area, and I cannot get enough.  My family grew blackberries when I was young and I just adore them.  I like picking them, too.  It reminds me of childhood and the vines that grew near our horse pasture.  My horse, Bess, was very curious and would watch you closely as you picked the fruit, hoping it would mean something sweet for her, too.

I wasn't really feeling in the mood for traditional baking with blackberries, so I decided to come up with some cocktails instead.  A number of blackberry-themed drink recipes using creme de mure or creme de cassis, which is a blackberry liqueur.  I do not have that liqueur, but I thought I might create even more delicious blackberry flavor if I used a blackberry puree instead.  So, I pulled out my trusty blender and got to work.

To make the blackberry puree...In a blender, add 2 cups of blackberries, 1/4 cup water, 2 Tbsp of lemon juice, and 3 Tbsp of sugar.  Puree and taste.   Continue to add sugar or a bit more water until desired consistency and taste.  Some berries are sweeter and riper than others and need less sugar.  I've given you a starting point, it is up to you to make it work.

I mixed up two different blackberry cocktails.  One, I call a Tequila Sunset, a take on the Tequila Sunrise.  The second is a modified version of the Bramble, which is gin based.  Give them both a try, even if you don't think you like gin or tequila.

Tequila Sunset

Makes 1

crushed ice

1 oz tequila

4 oz orange juice

1 oz blackberry puree (see above recipe)

2 oz club soda or seltzer (optional)

Pour the tequila and orange juice into an ice-filled glass, and stir.  Float the blackberry puree on top, and let it slowly descend through the drink.  Top with club soda or seltzer, if desired.

Blackberry Bramble

Makes 1

crushed ice

2 oz gin

1 oz lime juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

1 oz blackberry puree (see above recipe)

garnish with fresh blackberries and a lime wedge

Fill shaker with ice and add gin, lime juice, and simple syrup.  Shake and strain into glass with crushed ice.  Pour the blackberry puree on top and let it descend through the glass.  Garnish with blackberries and a lime wedge.

Happy Hour with Strawberries and A Cool Website about Alcohol

It can be fairly easy to bring a smile to my husband's face - he's just an upbeat person.  But the grin he had last night as he walked in the door and saw me mixing cocktails could have lit the house.  He's so cute.

If you recall, we try to have a happy hour at home at least once a week.  Last night I decided to mix up a cocktail with some of our plentiful strawberries.  Then I remembered the mint our friend Wendy brought us on  Sunday and I had a brainstorm.  Mojitos with strawberries, mint, and lemon...

Strawberry Mojito
Makes 1 tall glass

2 to 3 fresh stawberries - washed, stemmed, and chopped into bite-size pieces
2 to 3 fresh mint leaves
1 small wedge of lemon
2 tsp (or to taste) of simple syrup
2 oz (or to taste) of light rum
4 oz (or to taste) of lemon seltzer
crushed ice

Drop the strawberries, mint, and lemon wedge in the bottom of a glass.

Muddle or "smush" with a spoon to slightly crush the ingredients and release the juice of the fruit and essence of mint leaves and lemon peel. Add simple syrup and do more of the same to infuse those flavors into syrup.

Pour in rum and slightly stir.  Add crushed ice and mix gently with spoon.  Top with lemon seltzer and serve.  Mmmm...refreshing.

NOTES:  My husband makes a batch of simple syrup for us to keep in the fridge.  He steeped the last one with some mint leaves, and it worked well in this cocktail to provide an additional level of minty flavor.  You may want to use this technique or add a bit more mint leaves to your muddling mixture.

I also liked the extra layer of lemon from the seltzer.  You could elect to use plain seltzer or club soda.  The fizz is a nice touch, so stick with bubbly.

You could also switch to lime, if you prefer, but I thought the lemon would not compete so much with the strawberries.  Regardless, have fun mixing and experimenting.

Now, about that cool website...

How does that song go?
"When I'm not drinkin', I think about drinkin'.  When I'm not thinkin', I drink about you..."

If you are like me, you enjoy drinking, you enjoy reading, and you really enjoy reading about drinking.  So, if that is the case, I encourage you to visit a cool website known as AlcoholReviews.com.

The founder and editor, Kevin R. Kosar has a witty style and he shares lots of neat tidbits of interest to drinkers.  And, I'm proud to say he also generously gave me a shout out about our visit to Copper Fox Distillery earlier this month.  I encourage you to visit his site and keep thinkin' about drinkin'.