SERVES 2
Our signature cocktail has a bright freshness we crave all summer long. Zubrowska Bison Grass Vodka is flavored with one strand of grass and has notes of coconut and quinine. It’s quite delicious and worth hunting for if your local liquor store doesn’t carry it.
A beautiful green color from the cucumbers, this cocktail is the epitome of thirst-quenching at the end of a long summer day. Caution: as CRU’s own Kat Dunn (creator of the recipe) warns, “You could easily drink it by the pitcher …” Also note that you need to make the Toasted Sesame Simple Syrup a day in advance.
INGREDIENTS
1 fresh cucumber (peeled and chopped), plus 1 unpeeled cucumber sliced for garnish
2 lemon balm or lemon verbena leaves
1½ ounces fresh lemon juice
1½ ounces Toasted Sesame Simple Syrup (recipe follows)
5 ounces Zubrowska Bison Grass Vodka (or vodka of your choice)
Crushed ice
Puree the prepared cucumbers in a blender with a small amount of water. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside.
Slap lemon balm leaves to release their essence and place in a cocktail shaker. Add cucumber puree, lemon juice, and sesame syrup. Add vodka and crushed ice; shake vigorously. Double strain into a pitcher to filter out any cucumber residue. Serve straight up in a coupe, or on the rocks, garnished with cucumber slices.
MAKES 1 CUP
INGREDIENTS
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
¼ cup white sesame seeds, toasted until deep golden brown
Place the water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the toasted sesame seeds while still hot (directly from the oven) to the syrup. Transfer the mixture to a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and let stand overnight. The next day, pour through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds.
THE WELL-STOCKED LIQUOR CABINET
If you’re just beginning to appreciate the fun of cocktails (perhaps beer or wine has always been your go-to drink), prepare to enter a world of dizzying choices as you stock your liquor cabinet. You’ll now be shopping in the section of the liquor store that you’ve ignored, where row upon row of distilled spirits and liqueurs and bitters and aperitifs and digestifs and amaros and distilled wines beckon. Where to begin?
We recommend that you start with a few basics and gradually build a more expanded collection. A good gin, whiskey, rum, tequila, and vodka are five spirits that will allow you to make nearly any popular cocktail. Brand? The recipes in this chapter name most of the spirits by brand but you can also consult with the store’s staff and, the next time you’re at your favorite bar, ask the bartender for a few of his or her favorite picks.
Don’t buy huge bottles; you’ll have to wait too long for the opportunity to try another brand. As you establish your collection, you want to be able to experiment and find what suits your palate.
Vermouth, sweet and dry, should be part of your foundation, as should a bottle of Angostura bitters. A good cognac, a bottle of Campari, perhaps a Grand Marnier will likely come in handy. Club soda and tonic (in small bottles, so they won’t have time to go flat) are musts for many basic drinks.
As you try cocktail recipes that are new to you, you’ll learn which ones are most appealing to your tastes. If gin-based drinks are your favorites, seek out finer brands along with the most commonly called-for ingredients in three good recipes. If whiskey cocktails suit you, you can begin a collection of bourbon, rye, and scotch. For some, one brand of vodka covers all needs. It’s all about personal preference. Build a collection of good quality spirits for the kind of drinks you and your friends enjoy.