Spring has Sprung - MxMo

The theme for this month's Mixology Monday is a great one. Craig of A World of Drinks wants us to work with preserves. Or as he writes in his annoncement post:

The aim of the challenge is to go back to the days of the preserve, pick an ingredient, seasonal or not and treat it as if you won’t be seeing it again for quite some time. Syrups, sorbets, jam, shrubs and the like are all fair game, anything that will preserve the integral character of your favourite ingredient.

My absolutely only problem with it, is that there are very few fresh ingredients in this part of the world worth preserving at this time of year. However I did manage to lay my hands on three stalks of early and costly rhubarbs.

I've done quite a bit of mixing with rhubarb previously, like Rhubarb Rum Fizz, Balmy Rhubarb and Rhubarb Club but I realized I had never mixed it with aquavit.

So I started out by chopping the rhubarbs into pieces and adding them to a pan with some lemon juice, ground cardamom, whole black peppercorns, brown sugar, water and some vanilla.

The vanilla was what was available after turning a pod into a vanilla straw using this method from a video, I can't find anymore.

Once the rhubarb cordial was cooked, passed through a sieve and cooled off I was ready to mix:

• 6 cl aquavit - I used Brøndum which is not that heavy on caraway but it's there
• 1 cl Galliano 
• 10 cl rhubarb cordial

Shake the ingredients over ice and then strain the cocktail into a double old fashioned glass over a huge ice cube. Serve with a natural vanilla straw.

Rattlesnake

A cocktail from the Savoy Cocktail I have been wanting to try out for a while. Basically since I read the comment: It will either cure Rattlesnake bite, or kill Rattlesnakes, or make you see them.

Since my unfortunate incident with too much lemon juice from test drinking two Penicillin cocktails prior to the last Mixology Monday I have been wanting to get back in the sour saddle.

The Rattlesnake while a sour is not that heavy on the lemon and since I had a hankering for Bananas Foster Beignets I figures they would act as great props: The spawn of the rattlesnake.

On top of all that the last couple of days a bizarre snake story has been unfolding in the Danish media. A many in a tiny village who had been asked to look after a mates considerable snake collection got fed up and started leaving the snakes - all constrictors - - in plastic containers in front of peoples houses during the night.

So far four of the five he has treated cruelly considering it's close to freezing at night have turned up.

They all looked dead when they were found, but a local snake rescue have manage to nurse them back to life. The owner was quoted on trying to warm one of them up on his warm belly. 

In honor of this guy I mixed myself a Rattlesnake.

The cocktail is actually very nice - a mix between a Sazerac and a Whiskey Sour.  It's surprisingly well balanced and so far the lemon has given me no trouble - perhaps the two beignets are to thank for that.

• 5 cl rye whiskey - I used Old Overholt.
• 1 cl lemon juice
• 0.5 cl simple syrup
• 1 egg white from a small egg
• A spiff of Absinthe

Add the whiskey, lemon juice, egg white and simple syrup to a shaker and shake hard and long. Then add ice and shake hard again. Add a huge ice cube to a rocks glass coated with absinthe and then strain the cocktail over the ice. Garnish with a snake of lemon peel.

And the Bananas Foster Beignets? I followed this recipe - as I wanted them for a snack with the drink I did not make the Creme Anglaise but for a dessert that would be perfect - perhaps with a scoop of ice cream too.