EMBURY COCKTAILS

Cynar Cocktail Contest & The Search for Delicious

I attended the first ever Cynar cocktail competition the other night at the Trump Soho (which is nowhere  as tacky as you'd expect!) I took a friend who'd never experienced the Italian aperitivo that's made from a blend of artichoke leaves and herbs infused in an alcohol base. He declared all five entries to be delicious, and I'm not sure how much of his response came from how good the cocktails were (all very good) and how much from the uncommonly harmonious combination of  savory and sweet the spirit acheives. Both, probably. The big surprise to me was how well the spirit mixes--5 cocktails, 5 varied approaches, and I daresay 5 complete successes. And, for the most part, quite easy to make at home with some simple prep. I was also reminded of Kirk Estopinal of Cure in New Orlean's and his sumptuous "The Search for Delicious".  That's below, and below that is the complete list of entrants in the Cynar contest, with recipes.

The Search for Delicious

2 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
15-21 drops of lemon juice
6 dashes Regan's bitters
2 pinches sea salt
5 swaths of lemon peel

Start with one "baker's" pinch of salt in a rocks glass. Add the Cyanr and briefly stir. Add the Punt e Mes, bitters, lemon juice and ice. Stir briefly to incorporate. Taste, looking for only the faintest hint of salt. If the drink tastes salty, throw out your first attempt and adjust your salt levels. When the salt level is correct, express the oil from five swatch of lemon peel onto teh sruface of teh cocktail, dropping one in along the side of teh galss, skin side facing in. An 1/8 rim of salt will allow your guest to experiment with a few salty sips. Making the following sips pleasantly sweet, which will not make your brain hurt.

IL MIO RAGAZZO (MY ITALIAN BOYFRIEND) Pictured above, and winner of First Place, created by Tina Michelle Braunstein, Empire Rooftop, NYC. Winner selected by party guests.)

1 1/2 oz  Cynar.
1  oz  Martin Miler's Gin.
1  oz Trader Joe's orange, mango, peach juice.
2  dashes Regan's Orange bitters.
Splash Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice.
Sicilian sea salted cucumber (for garnish)

Stir over ice everything but the garnish  =  the Cynar,  the gin,  the 2 juices and the bitters.  Then serve straight up in a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cucumber wheel salted with sicilian sea salt, floating on top.

 
TEAM CYNAR: (Clockwise, starting lower left) Raphael Reyes, Tina Michelle Braunstein, Jessica Butt of Heaven Hill, Jonathan Pogash of USBG, James Menite, Justin James Noel & Nic Hirsch.

COMPLETE LISTING OF RECIPES AFTER THE JUMP

Further Ice Buckets

If you're arriving here from a a link in the New York Times piece I worked on with Rima Suqi about ice buckets (here) welcome! Here's one ice bucket we weren't able to mention as it's not commercially available, at least not for use as an ice bucket. It's one of those big containers of olive oil, with the lid cut out (easy to do, just use a can opener), run through a dishwasher and just re-purposed as a wine bucket. It's both charming and green. I was tipped to the idea at a fantastic restaurant in New Orleans called Lola's. I don't keep that much olive oil on hand (although I probably should) so I just went to the friendly cafe down the street, The Grey Dog, and asked for one of their empties.

Market Fresh Cocktails: Greg Seider's 'Ground To Glass'

As the dog days of summer kick in and anyone who can afford to get out of town does, those of us left behind turn to other means of alleviating the oppressive swelter. Drinking helps. Incorporating fresh produce into your drinks helps even more, bringing a bit of countryside to the bar. Summit Bar's Greg Seider came up with this great little recipe--if you can't puree the red pepper do muddle it up very well, and when he says hard shake he means hard. This also works as a frozen drink, almost too well. I didn't have hickory smoked salt on hand and used Murray River Pink Flake Salt, to no ill effect. Red pepper works so well in here you'll be tempted to start tossing it into all sorts of cocktails. Go for it.

GROUND TO GLASS

2 oz Patrón Reposada Tequila
1 oz. fresh lime juice
3/4 oz. agave mix (1 part water to 1 part agave syrup)
3/4 oz. Red pepper puree (or muddle 3 slices of red pepper)
2 dashes orange bitters
Hickory salt

In a cocktail shaker muddle one cucumber round. Build rest of ingredients.  Add ice, hard shake for 10 seconds. Rim half of glass with hickory smoked salt. Double strain on ice in double old fashioned or rocks glass.

Friday Night Cocktails: The Lawn Dart

This kicky number is a potent refresher for the dog days of summer, with a brisk combination of citrus, agave, Green Chartreuse and the vegetal pop of green pepper. The double whammy of Tanqueray and Siembra Azul Blanco Tequila means it fires with both barrels. The Lawn Dart comes from the fertile cocktailing mind of Sean Hoad (right) of  PDT, and  the winning American team at the Cocktail World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year.

THE LAWN DART

1 oz Siembra Azul Blanco Tequila
1 oz Tanqueray Gin
.75 oz Lime Juice
.75 oz Agave Syrup (1:1 Agave Nectar / Water)
.25 oz Green Chartreuse
(1) .75’’ thick slice of green bell pepper

Add lime juice, agave syrup and pepper to mixing tin and muddle.  Add tequila, gin and chartreuse.  Shake with ice.  Fine strain into ice filled Collins glass.  Top with 1 oz soda.  Garnish with cocktail umbrella skewered through lime wheel.