A spot for the alchemy of earthly ingredients into heavenly cocktails. We are so lucky to have a plethera of amazing foods available today to create with. Our Prohibition era brothas & sistahs, did magic with what they had around them, and by the nature of their times did the Farm to Table concept as a result of the living at the times.
I am always inspired by the craft involved in the growing and creating of beautiful foods and elixers.
I have fond memories of a childhood where working in our family garden, picking choke cherries, going gooseberry hunting and basically running wild in the countryside was an everyday adventure. I think creating a great cocktail should carry with it the same delight.
There are so many ways you can enjoy a good cocktail. Some of us snort it down, others sip genteelly, it's all good, experience it as it titillates the tongue.
So now what if your cocktail was also good for you??????
That would certainly eswage any pesky guilt that hanging around your fun. Antioxidants are rich in flavor and can easily work their way into infusions , syrups, sugars, and bitters.
Who doesn't love chocolate?, the endorphin hit is unmistakable. Raw cocoa nibs are filled with antioxidant flavonoids, more than any food we know of so far. You'd have to drink an awful lot of green tea to equal the benefits of the bean. Cocoa helps regulate heart beat, blood pressure,and reduces LDL cholesterol. It helps the body resist and repair the damage of free radicals, and is great at improving moods. So let's infuse some Bourbon with some chocolate.
Take any bourbon you like, I like Bulleit. Pour about a half a cup out of the bottle for you to sip on while you are pouring in the 1/2 cup of the raw cocoa nib. Close up the bottle and gently shake it to mix and move around the bean in the bourbon. Now leave it alone! Really! Let it sit for at least 2 weeks. It gets better the longer you can wait. The rich flavor of the chocolate will fill the bourbon with the essence of the bean without the sweetness. It's great to drink on its own, or make a Manhattan with it.
Here's my recipe:
FIG & CHOCOLATE MANHATTAN
2 oz. Cocoa infused Bourbon
2 oz. Fig Syrup
shake and strain up
Bittersweet cocoa rim
Garnish w/ Amarena cherries
FIG SYRUP
1 jar organic adriatic fig preserves
Whole foods carries it.
2 oz tawny port
1 oz Benedictine
1 oz Godiva chocolate liqueur
fresh orange zest
pinch of salt
put ingredients into a sauce pan under med low heat and stir until combined. Add a little simple syrup if the substance begins to thicken. Pour contents through a fine wire mesh strainer and let cool.
BITTERSWEET COCOA RIM
1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
3 T. Scharfenberger unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
mix together, slightly moisten the rim of the cocktail glass, and dip the rim in the mixture. Shake off any extra.
P.S. Figs are great for you too!
SANTE` everyone!
lulu
