Beverages

  What could be nicer on a hot evening than to have your friend make you a frozen wine cocktail? My friend Mary Tilson, host of KPFA’s America’s Back 40: All the Hicks from Coast to Coast, garnished our “frozay” wine cocktails with nasturtium flowers, basil, and rose geranium leaves from her tiny patio garden,…

From Todays Special, Hitting the Bull’s-Eye at Bull Valley Roadhouse

From our Spring 2022 feature with lots more recipes:  Mustard Madness    

From What’s in Season?

Recipes by  Cassandra Clark          Bluebird A Blueberry Rooibos tea twist on the classic Cuban daiquiri. 1.5 oz Appleton white rum 1 oz Blueberry Rooibos SolidariTEA ¾ oz lime ½ oz simple syrup Shake, strain, serve up in a coupe with half lime slice (on edge of glass).        …

From the story A Potent Brew by Rachel Trachten

The Golden Plumé When we learned that Berkeley resident and Yumé Boshi founder Ayako Iino won a 2018 Good Food Award for her Ume Plum Syrup, we decided to toast her success with a new cocktail recipe. At Falcon Spirits distillery in Richmond, past Good Food Awards winner Farid Dormishian invented this cocktail just for…

From A Vegan Holiday Feast Illustration by Julia Cost Recipe by Chef Phillip Gelb of Sound & Savor Serves 8 1 small sugar pie pumpkin 4 cups almond milk ½–1 cup maple syrup, depending on desired sweetness 1⁄3 cup Darjeeling tea leaves 1-inch piece fresh ginger 1 cinnamon stick 10 black peppercorns 5 allspice berries 4…

From A Vegan Holiday Feast Illustration by Julia Cost Recipe by Farid Dormishian Serves 1 2 ounces Botanica Spiritvs Gin (or gin of choice) 1 blood orange 1 Meyer lemon (Farid says, “Try bergamot orange instead for a killer fragrant cocktail.”) 3 ounces Q Tonic (Use this for a vegan drink, since it’s sweetened with agave…

from 12 Simple Pepper and Chile Ideas by Helen Krayenhoff Combine 1 can coconut milk and 1 cup water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and whisk in 1 to 1 ½ ounces of an 80{94d79dd6af1e87a94e700e4c297236468333f22e27ed5757b44711974a9a4b91} chocolate bar until dissolved. Add 1 teaspoon ground guajillo chile and whisk until…

  From Helen Krayenhoff’s 12 Simple Seasonal Vegetable Recipe Ideas     Finely dice 2 cups ripe plums and mix with 2 cups white balsamic vinegar and ½ cup sugar. Put the pits in a jar, pour in fruit mixture, and seal. Age in a dark, cool place for 2 to 3 weeks, then strain…

Recipe courtesy of Super Juiced. Emanne co-owner of Super Juiced says to make sure all produce is organic and preferably from a local farmers’ market. Makes one 12-ounce serving 4 Swiss chard and/or collard leaves 6 leaves of romaine lettuce 3 stalks of celery 1 Granny Smith apple 1 handful of mint Juice from half…

From DIY: Do It For the Bees After years of awakening the magic of spirits in her bartending, Kate August has gone on from the restaurant world to forge a career in herbalism, helping folks raise their personal spirits to new and beneficial heights. Whether behind the counter at Oakland’s Homestead Apothecary or helping her…

From DIY: Do It For the Bees Adapted from William “Cocktail Bill” Boothby’s 1934 version of World Drinks and How to Mix Them. His 1930 edition of this book was the earliest known printed recipe for the Bees Knees. The recipe included orange juice, which most bartenders today disregard. Our recipe uses orange curaçao. 1.5…

From DIY: Do It For the Bees This proportion of 1 part honey to 2 parts water yields a semi-dry mead. The equipment and yeast can be found at any local brewery supply store. You can use beer, Champagne, or wine yeast. D47 white wine yeast works really well. Makes approximately 5 wine bottle portions…

From DIY: Do It For the Bees Adapted from Charles H. Baker Jr.’s The South American Gentleman’s Companion, this variation of the original Bumble Bee subs out half of the rum for Armagnac and uses propolis bitters as an aromatic instead of angostura bitters. 1 ounce Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Black Rum 1 ounce Tariquet…

From the story An East Bay Winter Whiskey Ramble by Serena Bartlett I learned about this combination from the restaurant manager at Oakland’s di Bartolo, a knowledgeable chap with many innovative drink ideas up his sleeve. You may need to wait until next summer to make it, but some of us planned ahead and cut up…

From: The Regal Elder Part II by Kristen Rasmussen Vasquez This is quite different from the elderflower cordial you might have made a few months ago. (See Edible East Bay Summer 2016.) Elderberry cordial is a strong, thick alcoholic syrup, which has both medicinal and culinary applications. Some herbal practitioners suggest taking it regularly for…

From the story about Sarah Henry’s Farmsteads of the California Coast 18 seedless red grapes or red raspberries, frozen 1 bottle Gewürztraminer Grape Juice, chilled 1 liter bottle seltzer water, chilled Divide the fruit between 6 champagne flutes. Fill the flutes half full of gewürztraminer grape juice and top with seltzer water. Stir and serve.

From The Regal Elderflower by Kristen Rasmussen Cordial—essentially flavored and diluted simple syrup—is the most common way to preserve this special summer forage. Enjoy in beverages from lemonade to champagne or drizzle over huckleberry pound cake or panna cotta. Makes 1 liter 20 medium elderflower heads (about 2 to 3 inches across) Grated zest of…

From DIY Gifting, Season’s Steepings by Annelies Zijderveld Illustrations by Jillian Schiavi Warming spices scent the kitchen during the height of holiday baking season, so why not offer them in a spirited way. Golden-hued aged añejo rum provides a smooth foundation for this steeped spirit with its hint of deep, subtle sweetness from dried figs and kick…

From DIY Gifting, Season’s Steepings by Annelies Zijderveld Illustration by Jillian Schiavi Years ago, St. George Spirits collaborated with Numi Organic Tea on a tea-infused vodka. Here’s a way to bring them together again in a spirit the Earl Grey tea drinker can appreciate. Oil derived from bergamot orange skin gives Earl Grey tea its slightly bitter,…

From Who invented the Martini? By Shanna Farrell and illustrated by Gary Handman 1 dash Angostura bitters 1.5 ounces Gold Puerto Rican rum 1.5 ounces aged Demerara rum .75 ounce fresh lime juice .5 ounce Donn’s mix (fresh grapefruit boiled with cinnamon syrup; find recipes online) .5 ounce Falernum 1 teaspoon grenadine 6 drops Pernod…

From Who invented the Martini? By Shanna Farrell and illustrated by Gary Handman 1 dash aromatic bitters 2 ounces pisco 1 ounce pineapple gum syrup 1 ounce fresh lime juice .5 ounce Lillet Rouge Shake with ice, strain over a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with an orange peel.

From Who invented the Martini? By Shanna Farrell and illustrated by Gary Handman 2 ounces premium aged rum .75 ounce fresh lime juice (about half a lime) .5 ounce orange curaçao .25 ounce orgeat syrup .25 ounce simple syrup Shake with ice, pour contents into a rocks glass, and garnish with a mint spring.

From Who invented the Martini? By Shanna Farrell and illustrated by Gary Handman 2 dashes Angostura Bitters 2 dashes orange bitters 2 ounces rye whiskey 1 ounce sweet vermouth Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, top with 1 ounce sparkling wine, and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

From Who invented the Martini? By Shanna Farrell and illustrated by Gary Handman 2.5 ounces St. George Spirits Botanivore gin .5 ounce French vermouth Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange peel.

From Who invented the Martini? By Shanna Farrell and illustrated by Gary Handman

From Who invented the Martini? By Shanna Farrell and illustrated by Gary Handman

From Who invented the Martini? By Shanna Farrell and illustrated by Gary Handman

From Who Invented the Martini? by Shanna Farrell and illustrated by Gary Handman

From Who Invented the Martini? by Shanna Farrell and illustrated by Gary Handman

 From On the Menu: Backyard Bounty  by Sarah Henry Borage is an herbaceous plant that grows all over the East Bay in a kind of weedy way. The leaves have a cucumber flavor and the flowers are sweet. The flavor is pretty mild so it requires a little muddling to bring out the oils in the…

From What Do You Pair with a Reuben? Recipe courtesy of Saul’s Deli Serves 1 4 ounces celery syrup (recipe below) Seltzer water Ice Lemon slice Add 4 ounces celery syrup to a pint glass. Fill with seltzer water and ice. Stir and then garnish with lemon slice. Serve with a straw. To make celery…

Elderberry Kefir from Seven Stars of Summer by Jessica Prentice This nourishing and delightful beverage can be made with either fresh or dried elderberries. The recipe involves three stages: making a basic water kefir, making elderberry syrup, then blending the two parts. You’ll want to save the water kefir grains for your next batch. Some people…

From The Three-Tier Roadblock to Barroom Creativity Courtesy of St. George Spirits 2 ounces St. George Spirits Terroir Gin 1.75 ounces Lillet Blanc .75 ounce Suze Stir, strain over ice, and garnish with a lemon twist.

  Panch phoron is a bittersweet and aromatic five-spice whole-seed spice blend used in Bangladesh, Eastern India, and Southern Nepal, which typically consists of fenugreek, nigella, cumin, black mustard, and fennel seeds in equal parts. This recipe is from nurse, nutritionist, cook, and world traveler Roshni Kavate and Alembique Apothecary owner Babak Nahid. 1 cup…

From Todays Special, Hitting the Bull’s-Eye at Bull Valley Roadhouse