Berries & Herbs, in your Farmstands now. Both good reasons to consider the cocktail. Artisanal vermouth is another. What never goes in a martini? Read on!
With the emphasis on local produce lately and my own ravenous delight with Farmers' Markets, I thought it was high time (you'll pardon the pun) to talk about cocktails. Yes, cocktails.
A proper cocktail or an aperitif is the only civilized way to begin a good meal. Or, to end one. Or, to perk up a hot and hazy afternoon. For the afternoon drinks see tantalizing recipes in the LA Times piece by Donna Deane: Herbal Cocktails, anyone?"
The proper pre-dinner cocktail.
Only a few make my list: a martini, a Manhattan, a good sherry or perhaps a glass of good champagne.
Since sherry and champagne each deserve their own space I'll focus here on cocktails. A martini should not be full of fruit, nor should it be chocolate. The current fad demanding all drinks in a martini glass be called "martinis" is simply a reflection of our relative lack of sophistication. So many young professionals striving to look cool at the networking social held at some swanky downtown venue.
From your lips to God's ears, as the saying goes: If we make a sacrifice to Dionysus and promise to be good boys and girls, this unfortunate plague may go away like the awful White Zin craze of years past; a total fabrication to utilize the surplus of zinfandel. In an unusual stroke of luck for all those growers, the Kool-Aid generation came of drinking age coinciding with their huge over-production. Serendipity and smart marketing took the surplus and created a new wine entirely aimed at the youthful drinkers whose palates ran toward the innocuous and vapid. Let's forego the obvious snarky observation - but please don't forget the aforementioned sacrifices.
Now, back to our martinis.
A proper martini must be bone dry, but if you promise to use only one vermouth, I'll allow some variation. See how accommodating I can be? VYA vermouth from Quady vineyards in California is an artisanal blend of botanicals and wine that results in something so unlike the others you've tried, I guarantee you will be astounded. While dry vermouth may be used in a martini, sweet vermouth is used in Mahnattans (along with Bourbon) or Rob Roys (Scotch, just set aside the single malts for me and use the JW Red someone gave you last Christmas.)
I have always found one of the most enjoyable meals to be a simple martini followed by a rare, dry aged Delmonico. No less than my beloved Julia Child once attributed her longevity to red meat and gin. Need I say more? Okay, if you insist...
My uber-sophisticate friend Catherine and I established a tradition of celebrating new professional achievements with a steak dinner, leaving aside the places that ignore women or only treat them as decorative objects. Instead, we christened a few as favorites among the elegant, clubby steak houses in Boston. Grill 23 and Smith and Wollensky reign supreme. We know we are always going to be well (if sometimes over-) served. Likewise, we know we will always get both a perfect martini and a fabulous steak. And we will be no less respected than those two suits at the other end of the bar.
Again, a Manhattan is an acceptable substitution and Catherine's late father and my husband both master mixologists, helped us expand our horizons in this regard. Jim Cecil's trick was to add a splash of the cherry juice, Caleb refuses to give up his secret, but his are not to be trifled with either.
Aromatized wines: often ignored coming into their own.
One writer calls Vya "the Stephen Colbert of Vermouth" his observation: "it has edge and personality and takes over all conversation." Like Jim White, My Favorite New Vermouth my new favorite aperitif is half sweet vermouth and half dry vermouth over ice.
Historically, vermouth was a product of doctoring inferior wine with botanicals and sweet flavors to enhance it. Even the name "vermouth" is derived from the German word for wormwood, "Wermut". Wormwood was a medicinal plant most famous for its storied history in Absinthe. While wormwood is not used in vermouth production today, the essence of vermouth still retains that botanical quality.
- Sweet vermouth is characterized by the stimulating balance of bitter and sweet. Cinnamon, galangal, nutmeg, gentian mixed with Orange Muscat, Colombard, and Valdepena wines are the basis.
- Extra-dry vermouth is characterized by the herbal qualities of lavender, sage, orris and linden in a base of Orange Muscat and Colombard wines. Winemaker Quady encourages us to imagine a forest after the rain. That cool green scent is the essence of his Vya extra-dry vermouth.
The Boozy Gourmet's Pantry
A quality aromatized wine like Vya is also an essential pantry item for good cooks. For more ideas about cooking with alcohol see Cooking with Booze, reviewed by Mary Luz Mejia here.
Here are some of my essential food-booze tips:
- Vya dry vermouth to deglaze aromatics as base for chicken soup. The herb-infused wine adds a light but complex backdrop for the soup. Likewise for risotto.
- Add Vya dry vermouth to the pot when steaming clams or mussels. The herbal flavors will be a noticeable, if subtle, improvement over the use of white wine alone.
- Red wine in a tomato sauce.
- Using Rainwater Madeira to deglaze the roasting pan imparts richness to the base for gravy.
- Bourbon - essential to my orange chocolate truffles and my Thanksgiving Sweet potatoes.
- Vodka cream tomato sauce when you want to feel like a Czar.
- Amontillado - the secret ingredient to my mother-in-law's perfect Chinese black mushrooms. I know, Amontillado in Chinese Mushrooms? Trust me, it works.
Finally, dessert!
I will allow the use of martini glasses for dessert. A few favorites:
- Try making a granita with fresh watermelon or berries or honeydew. Add the frozen fruit to vodka and you've got a lovely, light and grown-up frozen dessert.
- And a little sweet vermouth drizzled over orange-cardamom sorbetto is divine.
- A little Kahlua drizzled over coffee ice cream.
- Macerate strawberries with some good platinum tequila
- Lemoncello made from Sorrento Lemons is lovely served on its own as an after dinner drink. It can also be used in a cookie recipe similar to Mexican Wedding Cookies, or in an icing. Try adding a bit to the cream cheese frosting in Linda Larson's Pineapple Cake recipe.
Write me here for the Lemoncello cookie recipe.
For more on food and wine see: Alan Boehmer.
For more on Sorrento and Meyer lemons see: my article on Meyer Lemon Olive Oil.
For masterful use of herbs, botanicals in luscious gelatos and sorbettos see Capogiro Gelato Artisans.
