Berry Week 2013 - PNW 75

Iiiittt'ssss.... BERRY WEEK!

I've always loved berries. Growing up, I would have thrown my brother over a cliff to take his share of straberries. He would have willinginly done me in for my share of devonshire cream. In the end, our cahoots and loittering would have been better matched except that we seemed to care more about the other failing than succeeding ourselves (ah, childhood).

As I've grown up, my love of berries hasn't waivered. While strawberries are still my favorite, my time in the northwest has cultivated a special love of blackberries. After my recent trip abroad, I already shared the magic that is tea-based simple syrup. As we started talking about berry week, and with a case of home-sickness after being out of town for most of June, I really wanted to play homage to the Pacific Northwest. It didn't take long for me to arrive at a Pacific Northwest version of a French 75.

French 75s are fantastic little treats that (like many things I've come to love) sounded terrible at first. The cocktail consists of gin and simple syrup mixed with champagne, finished with a lemon twist. Since initially hearing about this concoction, I remained weary until I was able to try some truly fantastic options at classy bars. By using a dry champagne, the sweetness of the syrup does not overpower. And also it turns out that I haven't met a glass of bubbles (in any form) that isn't my BFF. In this cocktail version, I substituted lemon for blackberry, and used some of the reserved simple syrup from the link above.

I've included two versions below - one more traditional style using just gin, and a second version substituting some of the gin for a tea-infused vodka I found while wandering around the liquor store. I thought the gin version was great - but the tea flavor was not as strong as I prefer. My favorite part about the vodka was that it added more tea flavor without sweetness. But even as I wrote out the recipe, the combination of vodka and gin sounded... terrible. It is not. And I didn't even get a hangover after drinking testing two whole cocktails. 

After having a little sip on this cocktail, don't forget to check out the other wonderful contributions (edible and drinkable!) for Berry Week!

Monday: Comfortably Domestic-Fresh Strawberry Pie / La Petite Pancake-Berry Sangria
Tuesday: Inside NanaBread's Head-Annie's Blackberry Cake / From My Sweet Heart-Summer Berry Terrine with Mascarpone Whipped Cream
Wednesday: Climbing Grier Mountain-Vanilla Gelato with Peach-Blueberry Compote & Honey Whipped Cream / Tenaciously Yours-Strawberry Smash
Thursday: Country Cleaver-Berry Sorbet Float / The Girly Girl Cooks-Strawberry-Rhubarb Stuffed French Toast
• Friday: Buffy and George-Black Raspberry & Cherry Pie with a Gluten-Free Crust/ Pineapple and Coconut with Blackberry Cobbler Ice Cream / The Grommom-Berry Crisp
Saturday: Munchin' in the Mitten-Cherry Clafoutis / Decadent Philistines Save the World-Raspberry Marshmallows (served two ways)

PNW 75
Makes 2 cocktails
3 blackberries
1 jigger earl grey simple syrup
1 jigger Tanqueray gin
1 jigger  Absolut Wild Tea vodka
Champagne

In a cocktail shaker, muddle 3 blackberries with some ice. Add in the syrup and two liquors. Top with ice and shake vigorously until the shaker is frosty on the outside. Strain the mixture between two cocktail glasses. Top with champagne (almost 1:1 ratio). Sit back, sip, enjoy. 
Repeat as needed following travel.

The Traveler Returns

Let me start by saying that a lot has happened since I truly gave a detailed share-time here.
For starters, I was laid-off back in March. It was a terrible learning experience. I'm still learning from it... The most scarring part of the experience was that the news came in the middle of my incredible trip across Israel. It soured the second half of the trip. I have enough trouble focusing on the moment due to my mild anxiety, but this was truly distracting. Luckily I met some wonderfully amazing people who helped me talk myself up and even comforted me during my unannounced sobbing panic fits on the plane ride home.

I sat at home for 7 weeks.

I cleaned, I cooked, I cried, I did laundry, I organized my spice cabinet, I cried some more, and I dusted the tops of book shelves. And when Monday was over...

That is only a slight exaggeration. Most of my days included about 12 hours of job hunting/networking/resume writing and rewriting and over analysis of what I would wear on interviews. Occasionally, I would get an interview.

I pictured myself blogging a lot more during that time. But frankly, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself in between my bouts of panic and while I did plenty of cooking, photographing, and eating, I didn't really feel up to writing about it.

But on the 8th week there was work. And it was good. The natives rejoiced throughout the land.

And I haven't stopped moving since. Since May when I returned to work, I have been to Las Vegas, Prague, Vancouver BC, Australia, Portland, and the Washington coast. All of the international trips were for business and took up most of June. Honestly, it's taken me until about last week to truly recover from jet-lag. My hubs has been incredibly patient while I have no desire to cook and we went through a particularly shameful week of eating out for every dinner. When my job isn't sending me around the globe in 21 days, I'm working long hours and spending most of my creative juices on impressing my boss instead of sharing here. If you remember that I'm an introvert, this makes sense. Trust me.

But as I dusted off the blog to ready my typing fingers for Berry Week, I found myself wanting to talk. So here's a little bit about Australia (including a cocktail!) and hopefully I'll soon share the rest of my travels.

I spent a week between Melbourne and Sydney. And as glamorous as that sounds (and I never tire of saying it), I assure you it was not. The working days (all but one) were spent at the hospital, averaging 10 hour days. It's winter time down undah, so the days were shorter and colder. I had essentially zero time in Sydney. We drove past the opera house, but was working the rest of my time there. I was lucky enough to walk a bit around Melbourne, though.

Melbourne is a stunning city. It reminded me of a larger Portland with the liveability and culture. As a foodie, I was truly impressed. I experienced a wonderful tapas meal with Spanish wine and such care and civility to the dining experience that exceeded my best experience in Barcelona. I sneaked a snap of the menu so I could remember it.

Bunuelos de bacalao, caballa ahumado, queso, pollo escabache al miguel, bistec tartar de wagyu, setas asadas con jerez, and cecina were all gorged on.

Right around the corner from our hotel was an amazing breakfast place who grew their own honey on the roof. They had other impressive qualities, like locally source ingredients and a seasonal, low impact menu, but I was entranced by their honey. On my first visit, I was foolish enough to order "just" a latte. My colleague ordered a milk 'n honey (steamed milk with honey and cinnamon) that was so fragrant that I could smell it over my french toast and bacon. The next trip, I asked them to add honey to the latte and suddenly the world shattered around me and I found my new favorite morning drink: Milk 'n Honey Latte. Seriously you should try it. Starbucks in the states will even make it (I've tried). But everywhere I went in Melbourne had honey at hand and could whip me up one of these special treats. I'm in coffee love. It's like experiencing coffee all over again. I had fabulous quinoa, coq au vin, chicken parmagiana, benedicts, pork-fat-fried potatoes, and risottos. I was never hungry. Except for that one time we went shopping walking and forgot to eat and found out the hard way that most places are closed between 2 pm and 5 pm.

Bikes abound, polite locals, and beautiful foliage framed by time in town. One of my favorite meals all week was at The Aylesbury. The lunch featured a roasted carrot on a bed of creme fraiche with quinoa, sunflower seeds, and pomegranate seeds. The bread was... out of the this world. Unworldly. But I had a supremely executed cocktail and if it wasn't for the fact that I was dining with my boss and it was 1 pm, I would have had 2 more. They called it a "My Name is Earl". Served in a tall glass, it contained gin, creme de peche, earl grey tea, and lemon. It was surprisingly tea-like and not too sweet or alcoholic. Definitely one to go down smooth. Below I tried to recreate it.

After a week of hard work, which came hot on the tails of two other business trips, I was so ready for bed. I slept on the way home and was welcomed to a weekend of fundraisers and bridal showers across two states. But nothing was warmer than finally being in my husbands arms again. And two cats who didn't notice I was gone.

Below is my recreation attempt at the Aylesbury's drink. Mine came out more of a sweet tea, but was still very tea-like. I don't care much for real sweet teas, but I didn't find this version bad at all. It's a wonderful accompany to your porch-side evenings this summer!

Sweet Earl
Makes 1 cocktail (and extra syrup)

For Earl Grey Syrup
1/4 cup loose Earl Grey tea leaves
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1 1/4 cup sugar

In a large mug, place the tea leaves. Cover with boiling water and let steep until very strong (5 minutes). Strain the loose tea out and pour the tea into a small saucepan. To the saucepan, add the sugar and stir to combine. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves completely and reduces slightly (5-10 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

For the Sweet Earl:
1 1/2 jigger gin
1 jigger earl grey syrup
3/4 jigger peach schnapps
2 jiggers brewed earl grey tea (cooled)
Lemon slices

In a tall glass, add ice. Pour all liquid ingredients into the glass and stir to combine. Add the lemon slices and serve.

Aged Booze for an Ageless Friend

If you know me, you know that one of my very favorite things in the whole world is cahoots. Specifically birthday cahoots, though to be fair, I'll take any form of cahoots in a pinch. 

And today we're throwing a virtual birthday party for the one and only Jeanne from Inside NanaBread's Head and we've been cahooting about this for a few weeks now. And not just about today's virtual party... Stay tuned for more details on Saturday. But here for the party...

Of course I added a mustache.

Jeanne has been an incredible influence on my blogging. Her huge Texas heart, sense of humor, delicious food, and wonderful care boxes have inspired me to blog better and to care more. All online (through the Twitterverse, email, and blogging), we have come to know little bits about each other by sharing whiney days, terrible puns, virtual drinks, and even the frequent good day. And even though she turns the big 5-0 today, she'll always be young at heart!

Manhattan Makin'

Let's be honest - what's a blowout half-century birthday party without some drinks? In honor of a classy lady, I aged a classic cocktail. With age comes wisdom, refinement, and class. All of which describes Jeanne, and I hope that this drink represents her just a little bit. It's in a small batch: wisdom not to over-do it. During the aging, the flavors marry together increase complexity; just like a lady. Aging can sometimes be fickle. Just like a lady (though not necessarily Jeanne...). And each batch comes out just a little different - making each cocktail a unique flower. The small batch, smokey flavor of this cocktail will impress your guests (or just you). I'm hooked on aging cocktails. They speak to me. As a lady.

I first read about this method in Food & Wine magazine this fall, and I've been just itching to try it! I did have to buy some supplies, but luckily the Tuthilltown Distillery sells small batch aging kits so I didn't need to splurge on a large cask. The bottle shown about holds about 1.5 cups (3-4 generous drinks) and comes with one aging honeycomb to submerge. For less than the cost of a cocktail shaker, you can barrel-age at home! After doing some research, it turns out that aged cocktails are all the hipster-rage right now. Bartenders are aging everything. And it's so easy! Aged cocktails are the crockpots of the bar. Just set it, and forget it! For my first run, I tried something simple and classic - an aged manhattan. 

This was just the first in a long line of aged experiments - I'll be sure to share more as I test them. Once you've had your fill of old drinks here, keep the party going checking out these other old broads: Kirsten's Orange Cream Pie, Allison's Coca Cola Cake, Megan's Nutella Turnovers, Madelyn's Cheesey Chorizo Dip, Anne's Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream Cones, Monica's Tropical Ice Cream, Katie's Chocolate Cake with Cooked Flour Frosting, Lauren's Mini Key Lime Pies with an Animal Cracker Crust, Madeline's Fig, Fontina and Pecan Flatbread, Kat's Guacamole, and Carrie's Coconut Banana Brownie Pie.

A target I can hit.

A couple of tips in case you do try this:

• Fresh fruit or rind will probably go rancid before the cocktail finishes aging. These additions are best saved until serving.
• Vodka is not a great choice. Because it takes on so much flavor of the ingredients around it, it ages much quicker than other brown liquors. I'd recommend staying with darker liquors until you get a hang of it.
• Test the cocktail. Darn. I mean, what a terrible rule, right? But like any dish, there is an aging-sweet-spot. The label said to age for about 2 weeks. I tried mine at Days 7, 9, and 11 - and found that it was perfect to my taste at Day 11. My second batch of the same cocktail went for 16 days to get the same effect. You only need a few drops to taste - don't want to taste the whole batch away before it's ready! 
• The recipe below is technically for a Perfect Manhattan - for a traditional manhattan (which I found too sweet), use 1/2 cup sweet vermouth

Macro phone lens on the lip of the cocktail kit.

Recipe! Aged Manhattan
Adapted from the recipe suggestion from Tuthilltown Spirits that came with the cocktail kit.

1 cup Whiskey (I chose Irish Whiskey)
1/4 cup Sweet Vermouth
1/4 cup Dry Vermouth
dash of bitters
For serving (optional): Maraschino Cherry

In a large measuring cup (or bowl with a spout) combine the whiskey and vermouth. Add a dash of bitters (just a few drops). Gently mix together with a spoon. Pour into your aging vehicle and add the aging insert. Cork. Place on the counter and forget for 10-20 days (depending on preference)

To serve: Pour 3 or 4 ounces of the cocktail into a highball glass. Garnish with cherry. Enjoy slowly. Stay classy, Internet.

Macro phone lens on the cocktail kit cork.

More fun with macro phone lens on the aging insert.