March’s Seasonal Fruit/Veg Part One – Rhubarb

Good morning,

Looking ahead to March and the fruits (or veg which Rhubarb is commonly classed as), we have chosen Rhubarb to be a firm favourite for many.

First we will start with some rhubarb purée, a fantastic addition to many cocktails.  To make this simply follow the instructions below:

Rhubarb purée

- 300g/10½oz rhubarb, chopped
- 100g/3½oz sugar
- 1 tsp ground ginger (optional)

Place the rhubarb, sugar and ground ginger (if using) into a pan and heat gently until the sugar has melted. Cook over a medium heat for five minutes, until the rhubarb has softened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth. Return the purée to the pan and stir over a high heat for about a minute, to drive off the excess liquid. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.

As simple as that.  A good cocktail using the purée is:

Dales Quencher

- 50ml/2fl oz gin
- 50ml/2fl oz rhubarb purée (see method above)
- 25ml/1fl oz pink grapefruit juice
- 1 tbsp sugar
- old-fashioned lemonade, to top up
- rhubarb stalk, to garnish

Method

Place the gin, rhubarb purée, pink grapefruit juice and sugar into a cocktail shaker with some ice and shake hard.

To serve, strain into a highball glass and top up with lemonade. Garnish with a rhubarb stalk.

This is just one cocktail of many the purée can be used for, so have a search, it is also good for smoothies too.

Bye for now,

Andy

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We’ll Start with a Classic: Aviation

I’ll start off how I was reminded how good an Aviation cocktail tastes.  We spent New Year in Las Vegas and whilst we were visiting each and every hotel we sat down in a nice bar (STACK @ Mirage) and had a browse through the cocktail menu, there it was sat perched at the top of the menu in big bold letters AVIATION.  I hadn’t had one for a while so thought I would sample the delights the drink has to offer and yes, it was fantastic.  Thumbs up to the bartender, great drink!  There are of course different variations to the drink, I have been reading up on the Aviation and it was first publicised in Recipes For Mixed Drinks in 1916 by Hugo Ensslin.  We will come on to Hugo Ensslin’s classic recipe in a moment.

Common Aviation Cocktail

Most Common Aviation Recipe

This recipe is commonly found in decent bars throughout the world and is featured in the 1930′s Savoy Cocktail Book.  The image above doesn’t have the blue tint the original Aviation takes the form of, however, this cocktail does have some substance and great flavours.  The brandied cherry in the bottom of the glass  is a delight to eat after finishing the drink.

Recipe

2/3 oz dry gin
1/3 oz lemon juice
2 dashes of maraschino liqueur

Method

Add all ingredients to shaker with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass

Garnish

Either a lemon twist or brandied cherry in the base of the glass.

The Classic Aviation Cocktail

Photo Jimmy Nicol @ www.jimmynicol.com

The Classic Aviation Recipe

This recipe stems back to 1916 and has a different body and taste compared to the recipe feature in the Savoy Cocktail Book.  As you can see from the image above, the crème de violette gives it that blue’y / violette colour.  Crème de violette is a difficult find in shops throughout the UK but we’re trying our very best to get some in at the store (alcohols coming soon) so you can sample the delights of this cocktail.

Recipe

2 oz El Bart gin
½ oz maraschino liqueur
½ oz fresh lemon juice
¼ oz crème de violette

Method

Add all ingredients to shaker with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass

Garnish

Either a lemon twist or brandied cherry in the base of the glass.

Both versions are certainly worth trying and the type of Gin you use is important too.  I’ve heard good things about a range of Gins, each to their own I guess.  Well thats it for the first post of 2010.  Here’s to many more! Cheers!

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