Shallots Web

Just in time for the spring-like weather we are having, here is the most refreshing cocktail I’ve made in a long while. Inspired by the Ginger Negroni at Hearty in Chicago, which artfully introduced the Bun and me to the combination of ginger liqueur and Campari, our take is a little more boozy and omits vermouth altogether. I suggest serving this one up in a cocktail glass for the first round and on the rocks with a spash of soda for round two.

A toast to sunshine, warm air, and to all of our dear friends in the city and beyond. Cheers.

Combine in a large cocktail shaker:
1+ cup of ice
3 parts gin
1 part Campari*
1 part ginger liqueur

Shake until the ice is almost all melted and strain into two cocktail glasses. I never work with straight measurements with cocktails – I just determine how big the drinks should be, based on the glass. Sure, this takes some trial and error, but it is delicious trial and error. =)

*Campari is an Italian bitter orange liqueur. Drunk straight or on the rocks, its flavor can be off-putting to some. This is a good application to see if you actually like Campari in mixed drinks. In the hot days of summer, I can’t think of a more perfect drink than a little Campari and soda on ice.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good cocktail. The problem I find with most “modern” cocktails is that they are just too cloying, too over worked, and have far too many ingredients. I appreciate what mixologists are doing to create new and exciting drinks, but the vast majority of them fall short. I guess, in some respects, it is the same idea that my boss has tried to convey to me when I am trying to come up with new ideas for projects: put everything out there, even the ideas you know are bad, because you have to get it all out to get to the good stuff. I guess you have to come up with a lot of crappy cocktails before you create a really good one.

Lately, I have taken note that the bartenders at Hearty, here in Chicago, are doing an exceptional job of coming up with excellent novel drinks, as well as great revamps of old favorites. Just last night, I had their redux of the Rob Roy, with strong hints of orange that brought a great freshness to a drink that can sometimes be too old-fashioned.  My companion really liked their ginger-infused take on the Negroni.

Throughout my travels, I’ve visited a lot of bars with a lot of friends, and a few exceptional cocktails have stood out in my mind. One, however, has been stuck in my head for years, and I had it with my very dear friend Jennifer at the erstwhile Natasha’s in Portland, Maine. They had a clever cocktail menu devoted to single fruits, including pear, orange, and cranberry. I gravitate to anything fig-based, partly because I really like the flavor, and partly because it is my namesake. The Fig cocktail at Natasha’s was simply one of the best drinks I’ve ever had and, though it took me a long time to attempt to recreate it, I am very glad I did. Bear in mind that it takes some time to make fig-infused vodka, so you have to think ahead for this one.

Fill about 1/3 of a mason jar with dried black Mission figs that you’ve cut in half (about 9); fill jar with vodka and cover. Leave at room temperature for at least a week, shaking the jar to distribute the flavor every couple of days. The vodka will take on a dark amber color and end up looking like whiskey. You can probably leave the jar indefinitely, since the alcohol acts as a preservative, but I think you’ll find the flavor a little to tempting to just let it sit there.

Once your vodka is ready, put about a cup of cubed ice into a cocktail shaker and fill with fig vodka to cover. Add one of the figs from the jar to the shaker for each drink you are making. Add a few generous splashes of tawny port wine and a small squeeze of lemon, if you have a wedge available. Shake until the shaker is too cold to hold and strain into cocktail or coupe glasses. Float dry sparkling wine across the top of each glass and enjoy. It may be the perfect drink. I may be partial.

The Bun and I occasionally go whole-hog with real cocktails and have a martini or two, but it is very rare. The last time we were out and had them, I ordered a second one and he said, “so long, it has been nice knowin’ ya!” Granted, neither of us can really hold our liquor, but a nice martini on occasion makes one feel somehow like an elegant throwback to boozier, yet (seemingly) more refined times. Perhaps I romanticize the cocktail, but it seems like a lot of people are doing so these days.

We’ve taken to the trend of buying odd liquors and mixing them with more familiar ingredients. Most recently, we read about the Aviation cocktail, which is a mix of gin, Creme de Violette (yes, a liqueur made with violets), a bit of lemon, and Maraschino Liqueur. The mix is quite good, but comes off a little too overworked for my tastes. I like simpler drinks, with less ingredients, I think. The Maraschino is quite sweet, but has a nice refreshing flavor, so it seemed to us to be a likely candidate for mixing in another application. Drinking it straight is simply too cloying.

We initially ended up making this drink just because we had all of the ingredients readily available, but it really turned out to be a winner. Bun says it tastes vaguely holiday-ish, so maybe give it a go at an upcoming get-together to keep the season rolling. It ends up being a variation on the Martinez, which is sometimes considered the father of modern-day cocktails as we know them. Here, the ratios are a bit tweaked, and we bump up the cherry theme with our own booze-soaked cherries that we made from a bunch we got from Michigan in the summer.

3 parts gin
1 part Maraschino liqueur
1 part sweet Vermouth
Boozy cherries, for garnish

Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and strain into cocktail glasses. Garnish with cherries or a twist. Enjoy!