DAIQUIRI AVEC MOI
By Rory Caviness, La Voile
This cocktail, with a pear brandy made in the Armagnac region, transports me back to my time spent in the South of France. The peach, cucumber, and herbal notes from celery bitters create a refreshing riff on a summer daiquiri.
Makes 1 serving
1½ ounces Artez Eau de Vie de Poire (or Trimbach Poire William brandy)
¾ ounce cucumber juice (see below)
½ ounce lemon juice
½ ounce Jahiot Crème de Pêche liqueur (or Rothman & Winter Orchard Peach liqueur)
1 dash The Bitter Truth celery bitters
Garnish: 1 slice peach, 1 blackberry
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For the cucumber juice, peel one small cucumber (Caviness likes the ones at Wilson Farm in Lexington), cut into pieces, and blend in a food processor. Strain through a fine sieve to collect the juice.
To assemble the cocktail, combine ingredients in a mixing tin and shake hard over ice to chill. Fine-strain into a stemmed cocktail glass and garnish with a slice of peach and one blackberry.
EL CANTANTE
By Ran Duan, Blossom Bar
The bitterness of fresh zest blended into this playful frozen cocktail reminds me and bar manager Will Isaza of Caribbean beaches. Its name references Héctor “The Voice” Lavoe, the famous Nuyorican salsa singer, and the song written for him by Rubén Blades.
Makes 1 serving
1 ounce Tanqueray No. 10 gin
¾ ounce Giffard Crème de Pamplemousse (or other grapefruit liqueur)
¾ ounce lime juice
1 ounce coconut cordial (or coconut cream)
Zest of ¼ lime, grated
2 dashes Angostura bitters
8 ounces ice
Garnish: 1 lime twist (and 1 strand Firestix, if available)
To assemble, combine all liquid ingredients except bitters in a blender. Grate the lime zest into it. Add a small quantity of ice and blend, slowly adding more ice — about 8 ounces total — until smooth. Pour the bitters into the bottom of a sorbet glass, then pour cocktail on top. Garnish with a lime twist (optional: also add 1 strand of Firestix, the brightly-colored edible flowers of the amaranth plant).
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THE SWEET PEACH
By Ezra Star, Drink
The Sweet Peach cocktail is a crisp taste of the best parts of warm weather — a marriage of lemonade and fresh peaches with a grown-up glimpse toward the sun. It’s a chance to reimagine that bottle of grandmother’s secret cognac stash — I use Pierre Ferrand 1840, but most any VS or VSOP cognac will do—and enjoy it with your friends.
Makes 1 serving
1¾ ounces cognac
¾ ounce peach syrup (see below)
½ ounce lemon juice
For the peach syrup, dice 1 peach into small pieces. Add it into a saucepan on medium-high heat with a pat of butter, and 1 ounce cognac. Let the peaches start to cook down, then add 3 ounces (about 1/3 cup) white sugar, and stir. Add 4 ounces water and reduce heat. Cook until peaches look like they should be on top of pancakes. Strain and let liquid (you should have about 6 ounces) come to room temperature, then refrigerate. It will keep for about a week.
To assemble the cocktail, combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass or coupette.
DRINKS TO GO
Blossom Mixers are available for pickup (or shipping) at Blossom Bar, Baldwin Bar, The Wine Press, and additional locations. Visit blossombarbrookline.com/blossom-mixers for more information. Drink is producing cocktail mixers, five options a week, for sale at sister restaurants Sportello and The Butcher Shop. Visit sportelloboston.com or butchershopboston.com for more information.
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