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| Feeling inspired by summer and blueberry cocktails - Photo by Wasabi Prime |
Showing posts with label Mark Sexauer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mark Sexauer. Show all posts
Monday, September 30, 2013
OMG a Recipe: Mixing Things Up at the Hobbit Ultralounge
It's a oft-said saying that Nature abhors a vacuum, and that's true for many things, even with food and drink. If you stick with a narrow menu of items, even if they're your favorite things to eat or drink, you're missing out on a world of possibilities. I'm the most guilty of this vacuum, settling into Hobbit-like comfort zones and not always being on top of the latest and greatest things, most notably with beverages of the adult persuasion. But laziness – begone! I've been fortunate enough to take my drinking palate out on the town of late and reminding myself that one should never settle for a simple vodka soda... ever. It's long overdue I mixed things up again.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
OMG a Recipe: Rum 1-2-3-PUNCH
Like the saying goes by cheesy actors, "I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV," I can say, "I'm not an alcoholic, but I sure do talk about liquor an awful lot on this blog." I freely admit to my own Shameber-worthy activity of Unleashing the Kraken now and then, but I think it's safe to say appreciating good, quality distilled spirits is no different than appreciating a well-made beer or fine wine. Someone put a lot of thought and effort to that lovely liquor in the glass (yes, glass -- if it's in plastic, you might be an alkie after all). And there's the added icing to the tipsy cake, knowing you can enjoy spirits on their own or mixed in cocktails. It's still summer, so let's celebrate the sweet life with rum!
I was very pleased to attend an Eastside Bartenders Association (EBA) gathering on a sunny Sunday, over at Milagro Cantina in Kirkland. It was a rum tasting event, spotlighting three Chairman's Reserve Rums from St. Lucia Distillers in the Caribbean. I openly admit I'm normally not a rum drinker. Much like my trial-by-fire initiation(s) with tequila many moons ago, I think we've all had our share of Epic Regret with lousy cheap liquor, but thankfully it only takes one really good experience to rehabilitate a relationship with a particular spirit. With the cocktail-smart folks behind the EBA organizing these events, it's like liver therapy, mending old wounds with an evil past and learning to love again with a liquor that will love you back and say you look pretty.
The Chairman's Reserve tasting was presented by the honorable Rocky Yeh of Cooper and Sons, a spirits brokerage company that focuses on distinctive, well-made liquor. He did a fantastic job of presenting the past and present of rum, going through its history as one of the oldest spirits that literally built empires, weaving a complex past that included the boon of the sugarcane industry, military might, economic development, slavery and piracy. Made with molasses, a byproduct of sugarcane, rum was a commodity, highly valued and enjoyed throughout history, paired well with tunes that start off with, "yo-ho-ho and a bottle of..." The term "proof" was derived through the rum-soaked days of the Royal Navy, where the percentage of alcohol needed to be high enough to where if it spilled on a ship's supply of gunpowder (occupational hazard, no?), it could still successfully light. No one wants to lose a seafaring battle because some dope couldn't keep their liquor upright. And to ensure the strength of the rum was sound, as well as to test whether or not a distiller was watering-down the batches, a bit of gunpowder was soaked and lit as "proof" the rum was enough to get both the cannons and the sailors properly lit.
As to the present-day status of rum, it's less about strongarming an empire and more about just enjoying the flavor. Unlike those annoying pirate movies (OK, Depp's the only thing good about those), one of the best things to come out of the Caribbean is Chairman's Reserve Rum. Three different styles were sampled during the EBA event (silver, aged and spiced), and then mixed into cocktails to show how they make darn fine frosty beverages. Overall, the rum has a rich, true flavor -- you get a nice oak flavor from the aged rum, and the spiced rum is good enough to just enjoy on its own, like a Scotch. Leave it to Cocktail-Whisperer Mark Sexauer of Milagro Cantina to rehabilitate my relationship with rum the same way he did with tequila; he mixed up a couple of drinks using Chairman's, including a daquiri and a rum punch. Both are classic uses for rum, but I think they're also the most notable offenders for drinks that wind up getting you crunked off your face. And not in a good way. A true daquiri -- not the slushy 7-11 drink -- is simply made with a lot of fresh lime juice, sugar, and a good silver rum, served ice-cold. The cocktail that won raves was Mark's rum punch, made with the aged Chairman's and a mix of citrus and fresh pineapple. He was very kind to share the recipe via Sharpie marker on an old receipt. It kind of felt like getting a pirate treasure map. No pegleg or eyepatch required. Yarrrr.
So the big test was to try and recreate the drink at home, or rather, a friend's home. I met up with my cocktail-mateys, Miss SJBe and Miss Shutterbug, convening in SJBe's kitchen to punch up some rum. We used the aged rum, per Mark's original mix. The Chairman's silver rum is nice, but the light flavor would likely be lost in the fruit-forward mix, and the spiced rum would probably clash with the fruit -- the five year-aged Chairman's is like the porridge that's just right. Drink up, Goldilocks.
I'm absolutely not a bartender, nor would I consider myself any good at mixing drinks, but from what little trials and Kraken-unleashing times I've had in my own kitchen, I hazard this little bit of experience: mixing drinks is a bit like cooking. I say "cooking," not "baking," because I realize baking more or less needs to be fairly exact with measurements, but cooking you can push-pull flavors, spices and ingredients on the fly to balance out a dish. The same could be said with cocktails. Too much sweet? Balance it with something sour or bitter, and vice-versa. Too much liquor? Well, make it a bigger batch or be ready to not get behind the wheel anytime soon. With the exception of bad liquor, most drinks can be repaired and rebalanced. Rum punches are deliciously basic, as it's just rum with a mixture of sweet and sour fruit, plus a few dashes of bitters, but with the caviat that all fruits are not made equal, so it's good to taste the fruit as you go. Sometimes you get a candy-sweet orange, so you can lighten up on the adding of sugar. And sometimes you get pineapple that's just too acidic and not enough richness of flavor, so go ahead and mix in some sugar to heighten the flavor. I had to do that in this case, sprinkle the pineapple with a little extra sugar, plus hand-crush to extract as much of the flavor as possible, since we didn't let the mix sit for a while to really let the flavors develop. We went a little lighter on the pineapple, so the final color was more reddish from the pomegranate juice, but no harm in a berry-hued rum punch.
The final recreation of Mark's rum punch went as follows -- I went a little lighter on the rum, just because it was Sunday and a "school night." This is a little more sweet; if you want to control the sugar, mix the fruit juices and rum, and then add sugar to taste as the last ingredient.
2 cups of aged Chairman's Reserve rum
1.25 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 cup crushed fresh pineapple, with juice - add sugar to taste if fruit is particularly sour or acidic
1 cup pomegranate juice
.5 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
5 splashes of Angostura bitters
2/3 cup of sugar
Mix all ingredients in a large pitcher or bowl and use a large block of ice to keep the mixture super-chilled. Mark recommended freezing water in a mold, like a bunt cake ring, and using that to keep the punch chilled. If you want to be geeky with the ice, run the water through a filter and then bring to a boil on the stove. Let water cool enough to pour into the mold and freeze, if you want to try to have clear ice. I have yet to get totally crystal-clear ice using this method, but it's likely because our freezer is just too cold. No matter, the punch is still damn tasty.
 |
| Getting punchy with Chairman's Reserve Rum - photo by Wasabi Prime |
I was very pleased to attend an Eastside Bartenders Association (EBA) gathering on a sunny Sunday, over at Milagro Cantina in Kirkland. It was a rum tasting event, spotlighting three Chairman's Reserve Rums from St. Lucia Distillers in the Caribbean. I openly admit I'm normally not a rum drinker. Much like my trial-by-fire initiation(s) with tequila many moons ago, I think we've all had our share of Epic Regret with lousy cheap liquor, but thankfully it only takes one really good experience to rehabilitate a relationship with a particular spirit. With the cocktail-smart folks behind the EBA organizing these events, it's like liver therapy, mending old wounds with an evil past and learning to love again with a liquor that will love you back and say you look pretty.
The Chairman's Reserve tasting was presented by the honorable Rocky Yeh of Cooper and Sons, a spirits brokerage company that focuses on distinctive, well-made liquor. He did a fantastic job of presenting the past and present of rum, going through its history as one of the oldest spirits that literally built empires, weaving a complex past that included the boon of the sugarcane industry, military might, economic development, slavery and piracy. Made with molasses, a byproduct of sugarcane, rum was a commodity, highly valued and enjoyed throughout history, paired well with tunes that start off with, "yo-ho-ho and a bottle of..." The term "proof" was derived through the rum-soaked days of the Royal Navy, where the percentage of alcohol needed to be high enough to where if it spilled on a ship's supply of gunpowder (occupational hazard, no?), it could still successfully light. No one wants to lose a seafaring battle because some dope couldn't keep their liquor upright. And to ensure the strength of the rum was sound, as well as to test whether or not a distiller was watering-down the batches, a bit of gunpowder was soaked and lit as "proof" the rum was enough to get both the cannons and the sailors properly lit.
 |
| A trio of rums presented by Rocky Yeh - Photos by Wasabi Prime |
As to the present-day status of rum, it's less about strongarming an empire and more about just enjoying the flavor. Unlike those annoying pirate movies (OK, Depp's the only thing good about those), one of the best things to come out of the Caribbean is Chairman's Reserve Rum. Three different styles were sampled during the EBA event (silver, aged and spiced), and then mixed into cocktails to show how they make darn fine frosty beverages. Overall, the rum has a rich, true flavor -- you get a nice oak flavor from the aged rum, and the spiced rum is good enough to just enjoy on its own, like a Scotch. Leave it to Cocktail-Whisperer Mark Sexauer of Milagro Cantina to rehabilitate my relationship with rum the same way he did with tequila; he mixed up a couple of drinks using Chairman's, including a daquiri and a rum punch. Both are classic uses for rum, but I think they're also the most notable offenders for drinks that wind up getting you crunked off your face. And not in a good way. A true daquiri -- not the slushy 7-11 drink -- is simply made with a lot of fresh lime juice, sugar, and a good silver rum, served ice-cold. The cocktail that won raves was Mark's rum punch, made with the aged Chairman's and a mix of citrus and fresh pineapple. He was very kind to share the recipe via Sharpie marker on an old receipt. It kind of felt like getting a pirate treasure map. No pegleg or eyepatch required. Yarrrr.
 |
| Mixologist Mark and rum with snacks at Milagro Cantina - Photos by Wasabi Prime |
So the big test was to try and recreate the drink at home, or rather, a friend's home. I met up with my cocktail-mateys, Miss SJBe and Miss Shutterbug, convening in SJBe's kitchen to punch up some rum. We used the aged rum, per Mark's original mix. The Chairman's silver rum is nice, but the light flavor would likely be lost in the fruit-forward mix, and the spiced rum would probably clash with the fruit -- the five year-aged Chairman's is like the porridge that's just right. Drink up, Goldilocks.
I'm absolutely not a bartender, nor would I consider myself any good at mixing drinks, but from what little trials and Kraken-unleashing times I've had in my own kitchen, I hazard this little bit of experience: mixing drinks is a bit like cooking. I say "cooking," not "baking," because I realize baking more or less needs to be fairly exact with measurements, but cooking you can push-pull flavors, spices and ingredients on the fly to balance out a dish. The same could be said with cocktails. Too much sweet? Balance it with something sour or bitter, and vice-versa. Too much liquor? Well, make it a bigger batch or be ready to not get behind the wheel anytime soon. With the exception of bad liquor, most drinks can be repaired and rebalanced. Rum punches are deliciously basic, as it's just rum with a mixture of sweet and sour fruit, plus a few dashes of bitters, but with the caviat that all fruits are not made equal, so it's good to taste the fruit as you go. Sometimes you get a candy-sweet orange, so you can lighten up on the adding of sugar. And sometimes you get pineapple that's just too acidic and not enough richness of flavor, so go ahead and mix in some sugar to heighten the flavor. I had to do that in this case, sprinkle the pineapple with a little extra sugar, plus hand-crush to extract as much of the flavor as possible, since we didn't let the mix sit for a while to really let the flavors develop. We went a little lighter on the pineapple, so the final color was more reddish from the pomegranate juice, but no harm in a berry-hued rum punch.
 |
| Treasure map to Rum Punch Island - Photos by Wasabi Prime |
The final recreation of Mark's rum punch went as follows -- I went a little lighter on the rum, just because it was Sunday and a "school night." This is a little more sweet; if you want to control the sugar, mix the fruit juices and rum, and then add sugar to taste as the last ingredient.
2 cups of aged Chairman's Reserve rum
1.25 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 cup crushed fresh pineapple, with juice - add sugar to taste if fruit is particularly sour or acidic
1 cup pomegranate juice
.5 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
5 splashes of Angostura bitters
2/3 cup of sugar
Mix all ingredients in a large pitcher or bowl and use a large block of ice to keep the mixture super-chilled. Mark recommended freezing water in a mold, like a bunt cake ring, and using that to keep the punch chilled. If you want to be geeky with the ice, run the water through a filter and then bring to a boil on the stove. Let water cool enough to pour into the mold and freeze, if you want to try to have clear ice. I have yet to get totally crystal-clear ice using this method, but it's likely because our freezer is just too cold. No matter, the punch is still damn tasty.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
FoodTrek: You Had Me at "Plate O' Bacon"
The passion for the Magical Animal will never die, so don't be hatin' on my love of bacon. That sorta rhymes, right? I don't care how many food magazines and trend lists say how bacon is "so over." Don't be sending a quarrel betwixt this aortic doomed love affair of Montague and Capulet proportions (extra crispy, if you please). I had the chance to sample some truly tasty things at new Bellevue restaurant LOT No. 3, and along with a menu item literally named Plate O' Bacon, I went to carbohydrate nirvana and back -- and I'm ready for seconds.
I was very grateful to have a chance to sample all these lovely dishes, which had "comfort food" written all over them. Seriously, menus like this make me so happy, only because I feel like food's gotten rather fussy lately and it's nice to see food getting back to basics. I appreciate the ooh-aahhh factor of nouvelle cuisine and the gastro-science of making olive oil foam, but at the end of the day, with the world in its current state of turmoil, people are just looking for something safe that will make them feel like they really can go home again. Not to say that my mom would bake amazing pretzels from scratch that took six weeks to perfect the recipe -- much props to the kitchen ninjas at LOT No. 3 for taking the time to make so many things from scratch, from all the breads to the butter and mustard that gets spread across it. I don't often break down and indulge in bready baked goodness, but here, I gladly welcome the indulgence.
I have to give props to a place that eschews the sugar-rimmed, Barbie pink drinks that's more sugar than alcohol, in favor of well-balanced cocktails. There's a menu written on the chalkboard for making your own Manhattan, which I did so with a beautiful 6 year old Sazerac and chocolate bitters. The fire alarm flasher is right by the "Make Your Own Manhattan" chalk writing, and I think it would be funny if it flashed every time someone ordered one, but then I realize it would probably drive people crazy after the third or fourth time.
I've sung the praises of the bartending talents of Mark Sexauer before, and this is yet another place he mixes drinks and schools the masses on why one should just say "No" to crappily-made frosty beverages with processed juices and weird fake dyes. Their bar goes au naturale, using fresh-squeezed juice from an actual fruit, not a carton with a fruit drawn on it. There's a whole crew of bar-tisians (I totally just made that up) at LOT No. 3 who I look forward to having them decide for me what to drink.
On a side note, they have the coolest chairs in the world. Sounds like a weird thing to note, but seriously, can anyone truly doubt the power of BA-Barracus behind these barstools and high bar chairs? Consider yourself warned, LOT No. 3, lest I'm unable to keep my Mr. Hyde-like alter-ego from kletomaniacally whisking off one of those amazing chairs, because they would look fantastic against our concrete countertops in our kitchen!
Get more details over my adventure at LOT No. 3 with the article I wrote for the Downtown Bellevue Network. But I leave you with a parting glance at the overall coolness of what I believe will be a new favorite happy hour haunt.
Much Wasabi Thanks to the team at LOT No. 3 for letting me om-nom-nom and snap lots of photos. Looking forward to seeing you guys soon!
 |
| Bacon, Panzanella and Pretzel - the perfect meal! - Photos by Wasabi Prime |
I was very grateful to have a chance to sample all these lovely dishes, which had "comfort food" written all over them. Seriously, menus like this make me so happy, only because I feel like food's gotten rather fussy lately and it's nice to see food getting back to basics. I appreciate the ooh-aahhh factor of nouvelle cuisine and the gastro-science of making olive oil foam, but at the end of the day, with the world in its current state of turmoil, people are just looking for something safe that will make them feel like they really can go home again. Not to say that my mom would bake amazing pretzels from scratch that took six weeks to perfect the recipe -- much props to the kitchen ninjas at LOT No. 3 for taking the time to make so many things from scratch, from all the breads to the butter and mustard that gets spread across it. I don't often break down and indulge in bready baked goodness, but here, I gladly welcome the indulgence.
 |
| Drinks so pretty, my liver thinks it's going to Prom - PHotos by Wasabi Prime |
I have to give props to a place that eschews the sugar-rimmed, Barbie pink drinks that's more sugar than alcohol, in favor of well-balanced cocktails. There's a menu written on the chalkboard for making your own Manhattan, which I did so with a beautiful 6 year old Sazerac and chocolate bitters. The fire alarm flasher is right by the "Make Your Own Manhattan" chalk writing, and I think it would be funny if it flashed every time someone ordered one, but then I realize it would probably drive people crazy after the third or fourth time.
I've sung the praises of the bartending talents of Mark Sexauer before, and this is yet another place he mixes drinks and schools the masses on why one should just say "No" to crappily-made frosty beverages with processed juices and weird fake dyes. Their bar goes au naturale, using fresh-squeezed juice from an actual fruit, not a carton with a fruit drawn on it. There's a whole crew of bar-tisians (I totally just made that up) at LOT No. 3 who I look forward to having them decide for me what to drink.
 |
| Provoking my klepto tendencies - the Precious! We wants the Precious Chairs!! - Photos by Wasabi Prime |
On a side note, they have the coolest chairs in the world. Sounds like a weird thing to note, but seriously, can anyone truly doubt the power of BA-Barracus behind these barstools and high bar chairs? Consider yourself warned, LOT No. 3, lest I'm unable to keep my Mr. Hyde-like alter-ego from kletomaniacally whisking off one of those amazing chairs, because they would look fantastic against our concrete countertops in our kitchen!
Get more details over my adventure at LOT No. 3 with the article I wrote for the Downtown Bellevue Network. But I leave you with a parting glance at the overall coolness of what I believe will be a new favorite happy hour haunt.
 |
| Yes, someone has to rubber stamp every one of those coasters - Photos by Wasabi Prime |
Much Wasabi Thanks to the team at LOT No. 3 for letting me om-nom-nom and snap lots of photos. Looking forward to seeing you guys soon!
Monday, December 7, 2009
FoodTrek: Grape Expectations at Barrio
"Don't drink to get drunk. Drink to enjoy life" - Jack Kerouac. In the same whiff of a Beatnik quote, an equal sentiment could be said for food. In a perfect world devoid of overly-processed meals within more degrees of Kevin Bacon than actual bacon, we could sit atop ivory towers and preach quality over quantity. But the truth is, food fuels us, and we don't always have the luxury of choice -- a slice of cold pizza more often than not becomes the breakfast of champions. When it comes to the topic of alcoholic beverages, because they are not nutritionally crucial, they exist within that rare luxury of choice. And for that, Kerouac's witticism has a relevance worth considering the next time you sidle up to the bar and you're asked, "What's your poison?" The Prime decided to fully enjoy that luxury of choice by letting the bartender call the shots, and that night it happened to be at Bellevue's Barrio, via their mixologist of ceremonies, Mark Sexauer.
I was lucky to have made the acquaintance of Mark through the Plymouth Gin dinner at Crush, as familiar names and favorite places were bandied about the table. I got a chance to read his blog, and his post about making vegetable powder for drinks waves the awesome freak flag of cocktail nerd-ness, and compliments a notable appreciation for using fresh herbs and other blessings from the garden in drinks. Given Wasabisaurus Rex's interest in craft cocktails, the amazing experiences at Chantanee's Naga, and the Sorrento's Drinking Lessons events, letting Mark create an omakase-like experience with frosty beverages felt like a wise choice.
Fellow cocktail-weenie and gardening blogger, Ms. South Sound Garden (aka Ms. Picket Fence) was in attendance, with her own twist on the drink-mixing. Ms. SSG had two whole quarts of pressed Concord grape juice to present as an Iron Chef-like challenge to Mark. This wasn't some factory-made, chemical-laden fruit juice -- the grapes were grown and harvested from SSG's impressive garden, and the juice was hand-pressed to much crime scene-like results. Like all valiant efforts, the reward was a near opaque, gem-hued liquid that truly tasted like the nectar of the gods. While not an ideal grape to make wine out of, the Concord juice speaks of so many flavors familiar to everyone's palate: childhood days of PB and J sandwiches and lingering on those last summer days of fresh grapes plucked right off the vine.
Mark composed a revival of warmer days and less-gloomy nights, pairing several different spirits and fresh herbs with the grape juice to explore the way it would react with flavors. The grape juice was both ally and opponent; in lesser hands it would have been watered down or used as a cloak to hide larger quantities of potent spirits. Instead, much like the way a chef would build a dish, Mark understood the importance of guiding the palate's reaction to such a prominent flavor. The juice's distinct sweetness was balanced by bitter and sharp flavors, and softened with creamier additions like egg whites.
Befitting of an UnRecipe raid in the Wasabi pantry, no printed drink menus or cocktail sourcebooks were used, just a thorough understanding of flavor elements. One of the first drinks incorporated two types of gin -- sloe and dry, with a bit of citrus to enhance the grape's floral quality. This drink evolved into a revised 2.0 version, swapping the gin for pisco, an appropriately grape-based liquor from South America. Topped with a cloud of egg white foam and a decorative swirl of bitters, we suggested that it should be called a Pisco Valentine, not that anyone was really making official names. Because of the pleasant sweetness, a color befitting February 14th, and a sneaky dose of alcoholic whoop-ass, it felt like it would make for a dreamy -- or bleary --eyed Valentine's date.
The frosty beverages evolved into more summery notes -- there was a bright-flavored drink that used tequila with some amaro and bitters to add some depth and cut the heavier grape flavor, and then there was a twist on the caipirinha, using cachaça, Brazil's answer to rum that uses fermented sugarcane juice instead of molasses, with Mark adding a bit of lemon thyme for freshness.
The cocktail Force continued to be strong with this one, and Mark finished out with what everyone agreed was the best of the bunch, an aquavit-based creation that used the caraway seed flavor of the popular Norwegian spirit to impart almost an herbal, fennel-like undertone with the grape's sweetness. The final drink had a velvet texture from the egg whites, but it wasn't dessert-sweet, which made it easier to savor. A truly enjoyable cocktail is one where you immediately get a sense of its complexity with room for nuance, and makes you want to take the time to really experience it with all the senses. That is to say, don't chug it, you frathouse punk.
Comparing all the cocktails, the grape juice's color is as distinctive as its role in the drink's flavor, so no one's putting this Baby in a corner anytime soon. Mark made a version of Ms. SSG's favorite drink, the Aviation, with a bit of the grape juice, and while tasty, there was no mistaking the difference. The magenta beet-like coloring of the grape juice is as dominating as the taste, and yet, mixed in cocktails, its moments of Valentine pinkness belies its potency. Similar to other libations on Barrio's menu which incorporate fresh fruit and vegetable extracts, pastel-innocent drinks saunter out with a hidden roundhouse kick. The curse of the Cosmo has left too many in a false sense of Girl-Drink-Drunk-security. If there is to be any lesson learned, in capable bartending hands, never judge a drink by its seemingly delicate exterior, as they are all like an icy Hitchcock blonde, a femme fatale lying in wait.
Developing cocktails really is as much of a culinary art as its solid-food counterpart. Too many recent cocktails rely on overly-processed sweeteners, and sugar in general, not allowing the natural flavors and botannical hints of liquors to fully develop in a mixed drink. The green thumb efforts of Ms. South Sound Garden were truly appreciated, as were the creative talents of Mark Sexauer and the team at Barrio. What a treat it was to sit back and let the ingredients guide the way. But since this is a food blog and one should have solids with potent liquids, I'm happy to say a plate of fried hominy is a tasty snack to nibble on while you're taking a spirited tour. If you get the chance to visit Barrio, let the power of Jack Kerouac lesson for life's enjoyment compel you to let someone else choose your poison for the night.
 |
| Putting the "man" back in Manhattan - Photo courtesy of South Sound Garden |
I was lucky to have made the acquaintance of Mark through the Plymouth Gin dinner at Crush, as familiar names and favorite places were bandied about the table. I got a chance to read his blog, and his post about making vegetable powder for drinks waves the awesome freak flag of cocktail nerd-ness, and compliments a notable appreciation for using fresh herbs and other blessings from the garden in drinks. Given Wasabisaurus Rex's interest in craft cocktails, the amazing experiences at Chantanee's Naga, and the Sorrento's Drinking Lessons events, letting Mark create an omakase-like experience with frosty beverages felt like a wise choice.
 |
| The theory of cocktail evolution - just keep drinking! Photos by Wasabi Prime |
Fellow cocktail-weenie and gardening blogger, Ms. South Sound Garden (aka Ms. Picket Fence) was in attendance, with her own twist on the drink-mixing. Ms. SSG had two whole quarts of pressed Concord grape juice to present as an Iron Chef-like challenge to Mark. This wasn't some factory-made, chemical-laden fruit juice -- the grapes were grown and harvested from SSG's impressive garden, and the juice was hand-pressed to much crime scene-like results. Like all valiant efforts, the reward was a near opaque, gem-hued liquid that truly tasted like the nectar of the gods. While not an ideal grape to make wine out of, the Concord juice speaks of so many flavors familiar to everyone's palate: childhood days of PB and J sandwiches and lingering on those last summer days of fresh grapes plucked right off the vine.
Mark composed a revival of warmer days and less-gloomy nights, pairing several different spirits and fresh herbs with the grape juice to explore the way it would react with flavors. The grape juice was both ally and opponent; in lesser hands it would have been watered down or used as a cloak to hide larger quantities of potent spirits. Instead, much like the way a chef would build a dish, Mark understood the importance of guiding the palate's reaction to such a prominent flavor. The juice's distinct sweetness was balanced by bitter and sharp flavors, and softened with creamier additions like egg whites.
Befitting of an UnRecipe raid in the Wasabi pantry, no printed drink menus or cocktail sourcebooks were used, just a thorough understanding of flavor elements. One of the first drinks incorporated two types of gin -- sloe and dry, with a bit of citrus to enhance the grape's floral quality. This drink evolved into a revised 2.0 version, swapping the gin for pisco, an appropriately grape-based liquor from South America. Topped with a cloud of egg white foam and a decorative swirl of bitters, we suggested that it should be called a Pisco Valentine, not that anyone was really making official names. Because of the pleasant sweetness, a color befitting February 14th, and a sneaky dose of alcoholic whoop-ass, it felt like it would make for a dreamy -- or bleary --eyed Valentine's date.
 |
| Aquavit and grape - behold, the Water of Life! Shai' Hulud and stillsuits not required - Photos by Wasabi Prime |
The frosty beverages evolved into more summery notes -- there was a bright-flavored drink that used tequila with some amaro and bitters to add some depth and cut the heavier grape flavor, and then there was a twist on the caipirinha, using cachaça, Brazil's answer to rum that uses fermented sugarcane juice instead of molasses, with Mark adding a bit of lemon thyme for freshness.
The cocktail Force continued to be strong with this one, and Mark finished out with what everyone agreed was the best of the bunch, an aquavit-based creation that used the caraway seed flavor of the popular Norwegian spirit to impart almost an herbal, fennel-like undertone with the grape's sweetness. The final drink had a velvet texture from the egg whites, but it wasn't dessert-sweet, which made it easier to savor. A truly enjoyable cocktail is one where you immediately get a sense of its complexity with room for nuance, and makes you want to take the time to really experience it with all the senses. That is to say, don't chug it, you frathouse punk.
Comparing all the cocktails, the grape juice's color is as distinctive as its role in the drink's flavor, so no one's putting this Baby in a corner anytime soon. Mark made a version of Ms. SSG's favorite drink, the Aviation, with a bit of the grape juice, and while tasty, there was no mistaking the difference. The magenta beet-like coloring of the grape juice is as dominating as the taste, and yet, mixed in cocktails, its moments of Valentine pinkness belies its potency. Similar to other libations on Barrio's menu which incorporate fresh fruit and vegetable extracts, pastel-innocent drinks saunter out with a hidden roundhouse kick. The curse of the Cosmo has left too many in a false sense of Girl-Drink-Drunk-security. If there is to be any lesson learned, in capable bartending hands, never judge a drink by its seemingly delicate exterior, as they are all like an icy Hitchcock blonde, a femme fatale lying in wait.
Developing cocktails really is as much of a culinary art as its solid-food counterpart. Too many recent cocktails rely on overly-processed sweeteners, and sugar in general, not allowing the natural flavors and botannical hints of liquors to fully develop in a mixed drink. The green thumb efforts of Ms. South Sound Garden were truly appreciated, as were the creative talents of Mark Sexauer and the team at Barrio. What a treat it was to sit back and let the ingredients guide the way. But since this is a food blog and one should have solids with potent liquids, I'm happy to say a plate of fried hominy is a tasty snack to nibble on while you're taking a spirited tour. If you get the chance to visit Barrio, let the power of Jack Kerouac lesson for life's enjoyment compel you to let someone else choose your poison for the night.
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| Oh fried hominy... I just can't quit you. Photo by Wasabi Prime |
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