Market Fresh Mixology
One of my friends and mentors, Bridget Albert, has written a cocktail book. I know, I know, yes it’s another cocktail book. But this one is worth exploring.
I attended the book signing party last week at the Drawing Room here in Chicago, and it was a great party full of fantastic cocktails and fun conversations. Bridget and her co-author, Mary Barranco, were tied up signing books for most of the evening, an indicator of the enthusiasm in the room.
There are lots of cocktail books out there, and I own copies of many of them. Unfortunately, only a few of them actually come off the bookshelf very often - somehow the novelty wears off and they don’t grab my attention after awhile. So far, this book hasn’t been one of those - I’ve already used it several times, and am looking forward to working through the seasons with it.
The book is organized by seasons, with great recipes using the fresh produce you might find during that time of year. I have a garden in my backyard, which is bursting with cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and herbs right now. In addition to making a variety of sauces and salads, I’ve been turning to Bridget’s book for ideas on using them in cocktails, such as:
“Fresh Tomato Bloody Mary
6 cherry tomatoes
1 basil leaf
Pinch of fresh oregano
Pinch of salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
Dash of Tabasco sauce
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1 lemon wedge
1½ oz citrus vodka
1 oregano sprig
Mixing the Drink:
In mixing glass, muddle 5 tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice. Add citrus vodka. Add ice to tin. Shake well. Double-strain into cocktail glass using the strainer on the shaker while pouring contents through the sieve placed over the glass. Garnish with an oregano sprig speared through remaining cherry tomato.”
The instructions are easy to follow, and well organized - since Mary is an experienced educator, I’m thinking she had something to do with that. This book would make a great gift, and is suitable for those who don’t have a ton of cocktail experience.
And if you’re into cocktail photography, the photos in this book (by Tim Turner) are great too. (I wanted to write cocktail porn there, but I haven’t seen that term too much yet and a google search led me to a bunch of sites I didn’t want to visit.)
I was completely on-board with the idea behind this book until I went to their website. Two of the three free recipes call for the oxymoronic “fresh sour mix.”