Niagara Food & Wine Expo ~ Barbados Rum Punch

Thank you to everyone who came out and stood in line to get a taste of Barbados.

We had an amazing time at the show and were thrilled that we got such a great response. As promised, I'm posting the recipe for the Rum Punch and the simple syrup I used to make it.

This is an easy drink to make in batches (it is meant to be a punch). Make it ahead, store in the fridge and pour over ice. This is a great patio drink to serve to guests all summer.

A traditional Rum Punch follows the basic formula;

One of sour
Two of sweet
Three of strong and
Four of weak.

The weak in the poem was meant to be water. In our recipe this weekend, we livened things up with the addition of fresh juice. And, when I say fresh, I mean I stood and squeezed and squeezed and squeezed, roughly a million limes and oranges, give or take. I had to do a late night run all over Niagara Falls to try to procure more limes because I was purchasing the limit from every store. It was insane but the people's thirst must be satisfied. The real point is, since we're using juice and water, the recipe needs to be balanced for sweetness, the bitters and a good diluting shake will help with this.

The first thing that must be done is to make the simple syrup.

This is a steeped syrup which means that after the sugar and water come to the boil, the ingredients are added and the heat is turned off. Much like making a cup of tea, the flavours will infuse as they sit in the warm liquid. Once the syrup is cool, it can be strained and stored in the fridge, all summer.

Basic baking spices.

Spiced Simple Syrup
1 C sugar
1 C water
2 cinnamon sticks (or 2 tsp)
6 whole cloves ( or 1/2 tsp ground)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground black pepper




Method
In a heavy bottom sauce pan, add sugar and water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Add spices and remove from heat. Cover and steep until cool. Strain, discarding solids. Syrup will keep in fridge.





As I mentioned above, when it come to juice, fresh is best so you'll need whole limes and oranges, if you can get a good pineapple as well, go for it. However, here in Ontario a good pineapple is hard to get, so I use prepared juice. Be sure it is 100% juice with no added sugar. Tetra boxes like the ones used by Ceres, Sunrype, etc are much better than cans.

If you really want to recreate what we tasted this weekend, you'll want rum from Barbados. It was the Mount Gay Eclipse. As I discussed with many of you and talked about at the seminar, it is completely sourced, distilled, aged and blended on the beautiful island of Barbados. 

It's best served over ice for guests.
I was gettin' all fancy here.

Barbados Rum Punch
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz spiced simple syrup
1.5 oz Mount Gay Eclipse
1 oz fresh orange juice
2 oz pineapple juice
1 oz water
2 drops Angostura bitters


Method
Add all ingredients to a shaker, fill 3/4 with cracked ice. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds, strain into an old fashioned glass filled with cracked ice. Garnish with fresh lime and orange peel.













If you're a weekly reader you may notice that the recipe is out of order, it's meant to reflect the Rum Punch poem and proportions above.


If you came out to see us last weekend, or you just love Rum Punch share your comments below.

IT'S SIMPLE, SYRUP.

It's called Simple Syrup because it's so simple to make.

When you're reading drink recipes, as you do, they often call for simple syrup.

I'm always surprised by the number of people who still ask me what simple syrup is. When I'm doing demonstrations or sampling for food and beverage events, I end up describing how to make simple syrup more than any other technique. It happens to be one of the basic tools of my trade. So, I'd like to give you all the information you could need to start making your own simple syrup.

Simple syrup is made of equal parts sugar and water.

That' it.

If you see a recipe that calls for simple syrup 2:1 it's  actually referring to heavy syrup, syrup that has double the ratio of sugar to water. For example, a small batch of simple syrup could call for 1 cup sugar & 1 cup water. A 2: 1 heavy syrup would call for 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water.

Why would you need heavy syrup?

Every drink recipe is different, some might call for more sweetness with less liquid. These recipes will use a heavy syrup instead.
Try to imagine that you're baking, one cookie recipe might call for more sugar than another. It will depend on the other ingredients in the cookie, what type of cookie you want to make, how moist it should be and so on.

Think of Simple Syrup as the base recipe from which all other syrup recipes are created.

There is a surprising amount of debate about how to execute this "simple" recipe. Which to me, seems counter to the name. I prefer to heat the mixture to dissolve the sugar, but there are purists who prefer to stir, using friction to create a homogeneous liquid.

I won't deny that sugar is a sensitive ingredient, subtle changes in technique will produce different results. I'll even concede to a detectable flavour and texture difference between stirred and heated. The heated version taking on more caramel flavour and it's a tad thicker. But, I don't think its as overwhelmingly important a difference to start writing recipes where I include instructions for stirred or heated simple syrup.

From the left; Powdered, Granulated, Quick Dissolve

I should also point out that they type of sugar will also affect the end result. If I was going to spend my time stirring simple syrup instead of cooking it, I would only do it with instant dissolve sugar. Its grain size is in between granulated sugar and powdered sugar. You might see it labeled as super fine sugar or dink sugar. You will pay a premium for it. As a business owner I shy away from that for obvious reasons and if you plan to cook your syrup, there is no need for it.

I would only use powdered sugar in recipes that call for it specifically, there are many classic recipes that do, but I rarely use it in new recipes. Maybe I should use it more, there is nothing wrong with it, it's just different, sweeter and softer flavour so it's not an equal substitute. The recipe would need to be adjusted slightly to accommodate for the extra sweetness and loss of liquid. Also, without heat it will be cloudy, which is fine, most recipes that call for sugar syrup are shaken, so they will be cloudy anyway.

Brown or demerara sugar is a whole other story, it has a higher moisture content, deeper molasses flavour and and of course will produce a darker syrup. It is very useful in rum drinks. Matching like with like flavours the molasses in the sugar and the rum will easily go together.

I used a cocktail glass to mold the sugar.

Simple syrup can then be turned into flavored syrup by using fruit, tea, spices, herbs and other ingredients to create an infinite variety of choices. The method for those is decidedly less simple. Each ingredient requiring a different treatment. Cooking times, temperature and ratio of water will be unique to the type of syrup being made. The method for mint syrup is not the same as one for bacon syrup.

You can see some of the different syrups already on the site;

There was a beautiful rhubarb syrup we made last year, this well be in season again soon.
I love anything with ginger and this Ginger Syrup  has gone into both the Coconut Shiver and The Second Coming.
Of course you could try one of the more complicated tonic syrups.

Or, you can just make your first batch of simple syrup and then reward yourself with this easy daiquiri.

Simple Syrup
1 C sugar
1 C water

Method
In a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat, combine both. stir frequently until sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and cool. Store in clean glass jar in refrigerator. Keeps well.

Easy Lime Daiquiri
2 oz white rum
1 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz fresh lime juice

Method 
Add all ingredients to a shaker, fill 3/4 with cracked ice. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled coup.




Now you don't have to shy away from recipes that call for simple syrup. Questions about syrup? Ask away in the comments below.

MXMO ~~ COCONUT SHIVER

Lavender
Goat Cheese
Coconut

There they are, my food hates. I feel really exposed right now.
It's taboo to admit to not liking certain flavours in the food world. In fact, on the first day of class, the food writing teacher told us we weren't allowed to have any dislikes if we were going to write about food. There was silence in the room. It hadn't occurred to any of us that writing about food would require us to eat the foods we detest. I have a strong aversion to coconut. It would be so much better if my hate had more group conformity, but I seem to be one of very few people who don't like it.

My worst food hate secret?
I used to hate beer...I can hardly imagine it but I was in my late twenties before I developed a taste for beer.

What worked?
Repeated exposure. The more you taste a food you dislike, the less you hate it and sometimes you'll even grow to love it, as I did with the refreshing and bitter deliciousness of a great beer.
I have tried to use the same approach with other foods and flavours that I dislike, in order to eradicate the quivering, stomach churning revulsion. This also works if you had an evening of over indulgence and the scent memory related to gin or tequila or whatever you had too much of, now brings back a flood of horrifying memories. It's just your brain trying to protect you. Taste a small amount again a few times and you should eventually be relieved (there was a solid decade where I couldn't drink orange juice). You can read more about the studies behind this and other fun facts about food aversions here.
Of course, aversions are not the same as allergies, please be a considerate restaurant patron, for the establishment as well as the sake of diners with very real allergies. Aversion = Ew, gross. Allergy = Hospital, dying. It's a very important distinction.

I tried several different coconut products, but in the end I went with the Coconut Dream. It's hardly my ideal choice, the ingredient list isn't stellar but it's the only one that worked in the drink. I'm happy to have a reason to do something other than farm fresh, but this was another tough draw (MxMo pineapple was difficult too). The whole coconut just didn't have any flavour, the cream had the least added ingredients but was difficult to work with and the can and box were about the same, so I went with box for convenience and texture. I appreciate a good challenge and this falls in line with my other work for packaged foods companies. I have to help them showcase their products, my personal tastes are not relevant.

I'm so Canadian, I didn't even notice it was facing French. Little known fact about English speaking Canadians, we all have certain products for which we use the french name because of the dual labeling.

All that said, this coconut themed MxMo was a tough challenge for me.
I did what people have been doing forever to choke down a food they dislike, I covered it with flavours I do like. In this case a strong flavour match exists between coconut and ginger, a flavour I love. Both of those ingredients have an affinity for lime, which I love. And, lime and ginger match with gin, which I also love. So, how bad could this coconut experiment be?

I've had my torch out again.

Coconut Shiver
1 1/2 oz gin
1 1/2 oz Coconut Dream (unsweetened)
1 oz ginger syrup*
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
2-3 drops Angostura bitters
candied ginger and lime zest for garnish

Method
In a shaker add all ingredients, fill 3/4 with ice. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Double strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with fresh lime zest and candied ginger.















*Ginger Syrup
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c water
3 inches fresh ginger, sliced
pinch black pepper, fresh cracked
pinch salt

Method
In a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat bring sugar and water to the boil, add ginger, salt and pepper. Reduce heat simmer gently for 15 mins. Remove from heat, cool and fine strain. Store in fridge for up to one week.

I have repeatedly exposed myself to coconut and I'm over the shivers but I still don't love it. I can handle it in curries and I won't die if it's in a dessert, although I still don't understand it on a spiritual/emotional level. This drink scored surprisingly high with me, I'd maybe even order one...but probably not.


What are your food hates? Any alcohol you haven't been able to drink? Hated a food and now you love it? Tell me about it in the comments.

As always, a big thank you to MxMo. I appreciate the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone. Rated R Cocktails came up with this one. I love Tiki and I love their site.
Here's the round up post. Check out what everyone did. I'm so glad to see other people who also don't love coconut & how they approached. It really turned out great.

WINTER IS COMING

The abundance of summer fruit continues and I can't let opportunities to use farm fresh fruit go to waste. In no time it'll be freezing cold where I live and I'll be looking at twelve varieties of pumpkin and everything else will have to be imported.

Nature decides for me when it's time to write seventeen pink, fruity drink recipes in a row and when instead, I'll have to think of twenty uses for dried grapefruit peel. The winter will offer time to deeply examine the cultural impact of the ratio of Chartreuse to Barsmiths in the downtown core and how it affects your ability to find a leather apron on sale. (I'll be working on that one for an upcoming issue of Mustaches Lately)


So, while the season calls for it, here are some more snaps of our day at Thames River Melons in the pick your own patch. The raspberries and blueberries were outstanding.

They don't have an organic designation but they are using responsible farming practices, alternate plantings and there were most definitely birds and bugs, which are a good sign. It means the food you're about to consume is desirable to other creatures. Food that has been harshly treated or genetically altered (GMO's) will not appeal to bugs and birds and is a sign that you should probably avoid it as well, but everyone has to decide for themselves. One of the reasons I feel it's so important to get out to a farm in your area is so that you can see for yourself how your food is being treated and be your own judge. There are giant industrial farms with an Organic designation but the food sits on a truck wrapped in plastic for a week before it ever gets to you.

Or, there is a farm like this one that is near by, cares for the land and food but does not meet the requirements for Organic labeling. Again, these choices are about balance, being a consumer of both of those as well as some conventional produce is probably a more realistic scenario for most people.

COME ON!

After spending the day picking berries with  a two year old in an idyllic, pastoral setting you can also be the person who uses those berries to make a firm drink. In an effort to help you find that balance, we'll make a raspberry and a blueberry syrup so your kids (or you) can enjoy it in an ice cream float and you (but not your kids) can have it drizzled over a local, whiskey fix.


Raspberry Float
1 C vanilla ice cream, plus additional 3 tbsp for garnish
2 oz raspberry syrup (recipe below)
4-5 oz soda water
Cherry or raspberries for garnish

Method
In a soda glass or highball, add half of the ice cream and half of the syrup, repeat. Top with additional ice cream and cherry, serve with a straw and a spoon

Whisky Fix
2 oz Whisky (Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve)
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
2 barspoons blueberry syrup

Method
Fill a wine glass 2/3 with crushed ice, pour in whiskey and lemon, add more crushed ice, top with syrup and fresh fruit





Tender Fruit Syrup
1 C sugar
1C water
1 pint fresh raspberries OR blueberries OR other soft seasonal fruit
pinch salt

Method
In a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat bring sugar and water to the boil. Gently add fruit and salt. Reduce heat to low simmer for 15 mins. Remove from heat. Let stand until cool. Strain over fine mesh and/or cheesecloth. Keep in airtight container in fridge for 1 week.

*If you want this to last a little longer you could consider a pinch of citric acid but be careful a little goes a long way.

**This is my most common method for making syrups with tender fruit. It's important that the fruit be gently simmered. The juices will run from the fruit without it breaking down into tiny pieces. This is a must for clear syrup.

***yes, you can switch the syrups in these recipes. The formulas are interchangeable but the results will be two totally different flavour combinations

JULEP IN JULY

I can't do it.

I just can't post another pink drink this week. It's high season for all things berry but even I need a reprieve.

It's time for a classic but since it is the middle of summer only certain drinks will do. In the extreme heat I want something boozy but refreshing, it's got to be a Mint Julep.

I went with store bought mint this time. The supply in my garden had dwindled

If you're heading down to New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail...well then you're probably more than just a home enthusiast and are already familiar with the Mint Julep. For everyone else this will be a brief introduction and with some luck, will spark your wanderlust and have you dreaming of a trip to one of the great southern States where a perfectly crafted Julep is so ingrained in the culture, they're available on almost every corner.

I had my first "Mint Julep" in a small, after work hangout bar in Vancouver. It was presented in a very cool Maker's Mark silver Julep cup but what was inside that cup simply did not do it for me. It lacked the cool refreshment I had been imagining and had barely a whiff of mint, if any at all. My vision of this mysterious potion had been erased, it was just some watery Maker's in a cup, not a Julep.

At the time I was working in one of Vancouver's top restaurants, a place where someone (not me) was meticulously crafting every sip that crossed peoples lips. I was tasting drinks all the time (classic, simple and elaborate concoctions) that were being presented at their absolute finest, this sad cup of whiskey from across the street, didn't stand a chance.

I had written the Julep off until a few years later when I found myself in Metairie, Louisiana. Always wanting to take in as much of what's local as possible, I sat down with a skeptical but open mind to a proper Mint Julep and had my "drinks world" changed.

Here are two videos of the Gentleman who made the drink. This is actually taken two years later when I returned to the Pavilion, a cocktail spot known only to a few outside of the small city near New Orleans. There is no other place like it in the world.

The key message is that no matter which recipe you prefer, don't scrimp on the mint. The recipe from the videos is given here so that you can start to practice making your own at home. Don't forget to adjust to your own tastes or that of your guests...

Mint Julep
1 3/4 oz Old Forester Straight Bourbon Whiskey
1/2 oz mint simple syrup
1 bar spoon super fine sugar
1 bar spoon peach brandy

garnish generously with fresh mint and seasonal fruit












Method
In a Julep cup or double old fashioned glass, add mint syrup and bourbon. Fill glass with crushed ice, garnish with mint, add sugar and berries, pour brandy over
Go ahead and rub pineapple too if the spirit moves you.

* Mint Syrup
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c water
1/2 c mint leaves

Method
Over medium heat,bring sugar and water to the boil. Turn off heat add mint. Steep for 3-5 mins and strain. Store, airtight, in fridge for up to two weeks.

**A special note for the Canadians, that Old Forester is a little over proof at 86. I would dial back the sweetness a touch if using one of the standard 80 proof Bourbons available at the LCBO or if you have elected to make a "Moose Julep" instead by using rye whisky. Also, you will be relegated to using a limited selection of peach liqueurs and unless you make your own, you'll also need to dial back for sweetness here.
Please do not let me go on about the assassination of the peach trees in Niagara after the jam factory closed. There were so many other profitable uses for those beautiful trees...


Have you ever had a proper Julep? Are you guilty of scrimping on the mint?

RHUBARB RHUBARB RHUBARB

That was for the theater crowd.

It's finally rhubarb season here in Ontario. I picked up my first few bunches last Monday because it was a little late coming up this year. If it's in season where you are too, it's time to make some rhubarb cocktails.

Both sweet and astringent, rhubarb is naturally balanced which makes it a perfect ingredient for cocktails.

This weeks cocktail incorporates a rhubarb simple syrup, I've included the recipe for that as well. There are many ways to add fruit components to your drinks (here are a few). If you're just beginning to make your own cocktails, simple syrup is, as the name would suggest, a good starting point.

Rababaro
1 1/2 oz Wiser's Deluxe whisky
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino
1/2 oz rhubarb syrup (see below)
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
dash orange bitters


Method 

Add all ingredients to a shaker, fill 3/4 with cracked ice, shake for 15 seconds, strain into glass filled with cracked ice, garnish with lemon zest





















Rhubarb Syrup
1 C sugar
1 C water
2 c chopped rhubarb
pinch salt

Method
In a heavy bottom sauce pan, over medium heat, bring sugar and water to the boil. Add rhubarb and salt. Reduce heat to medium low, simmer for 8-10 mins. Remove from heat, cool and strain.



Have you used rhubarb in a cocktail before? How did you incorporate it?

5 Easy to Make Cocktail Ingredients Using Blood Orange

At first glance, a cocktail recipe calling for an infused vodka or seasonal shrub might appear too far out of reach. But, if you're a budding home bartender, you will not believe how easy these cocktail ingredients are to prepare, they will launch your cocktails to the next level and each one only takes a few minutes to prepare!



We keep it simple by using one star ingredient for all five of our recipes. It's almost the end of Blood Orange season but it's by far the most popular time to use them in recipes. If you're unfamiliar with these beauties, they have the tang of a navel orange with the floral notes of a tangerine. The thing that makes them truly special is the exquisite colour inside. They can be somewhat acidic and so they're not quite as popular for eating out of hand, but it's for this reason that they have the perfect profile for our cocktail ingredients.

Every home bartender can make these!

1. Bitters

2. Vodka

3. Syrup

4. Shrub

5. Cordial

1.Blood Orange Bitters

These bitters are just a combination of blood orange vodka (see recipe #2) and wild cherry bark bittering agent, the bark is found at the herbalist, the same place you found the cinchona bark for your tonic syrup.

1/4 C Blood Orange Vodka
1/8 C Wild Cherry Bark bitterant

Shelf stable, keep in a small glass jar, a recycled jam jar will work 

Bitterant
1/4 C wild cherry bark
3/4 C vodka

Combine in 500 ml jar, (the extra space in the jar is needed for the bark to expand), set in a cool dark place for one week to one month, [you can keep adding more vodka over time (longer = more bitterness)], strain and store, it's shelf stable.

I keep all of my bittering agents  and components separate, only ever blending the final product. 

2. Blood Orange Vodka

You might want to make a few jars of this one. The vodka is used in two of the other recipes. I particularly love the colour it lends to a drink.

1 blood orange, sliced
1 C vodka

Combine in 500 ml jar, set in a cool dark place for one week, discard orange slices, strain vodka, store in the same jar

3. Blood Orange Syrup

Flavoured syrups offer an opportunity to build extra flavour into any cocktail that calls for simple syrup.  

3 blood oranges, juiced, reserve juice and shells
2 C sugar
1 C water
1/4 tsp salt

Optional, additional awesomeness: 1/4 tsp citric acid to brighten flavour and increase shelf life.

In a heavy bottom sauce pot, over medium heat bring sugar and water to the boil. Add shells and reduce heat to low, simmer for 20 mins. Remove from heat, cool and fine strain. Add juice and salt, stir and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

4. Blood Orange Shrub

Shrubs are a great way of adding acidity to a cocktail, they're delicious, unusual (friends will be very impressed) and so simple.

1/3 C fresh blood orange juice

1/3 C sugar

1/3 C red wine vinegar

Combine juice and sugar stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves, add vinegar. Store in a glass jar, this one is shelf stable and will even get better with time.

5. Blood Orange Cordial

This isn't my usual method for making cordials but in the interest of saving time and since you just made these two recipes, you might as well...

1/2 C Blood Orange Vodka

1/4 C Blood Orange Syrup

Combine and store, it will last on the shelf but will do even better in the fridge.


Did you try any or all of these? Did you use them in an existing recipe? Let me know how it turned out!

  

G&T DIY

Have you ordered a Gin and Tonic lately? Surprised to get a golden, sparkly glass of deliciousness instead of your usual? The recreation of simple, popular drinks is on the rise, and house made tonic is becoming the new standard.

In the case that you love a G&T but are unaware of where that unique flavour comes from, it's Quinine. In most common grocery store brands an artificial flavouring is used. Natural quinine comes from Cinchona Bark, which can be found at Herbalists and natural stores everywhere. It's also what gives tonic its bitterness. The zip and tartness come from the use of citric acid, which can be found at bulk food stores, and works as a natural preservative.

*The drink hasn't been stirred to show the contrast in colour. I also used a gin that happens to be yellow adding to the effect. 

If you want to try it at home, it's much easier than you might think. You just need a little time to shop and some patience. It's totally worth the effort, plus you get to customize it to your taste.

This will serve as a base formula that you can play with. Try adding more lime or less citric acid. Go crazy and add some lemongrass... If you're unsure what flavours you favor, try buying some high end tonics like Fever-Tree or Q Tonic, when there isn't any HFCS you can really taste the quinine and the other more subtle flavours.

*Nerd Alert* The sun has returned and while I encourage you to try this, I also encourage you to save making it for a rainy day and serve it to friends on a sunny one... 

Tonic Syrup 1

2 C sugar
1 C water
2 limes (juice & zest)
2 lemons (juice & zest)
2 tbsp cinchona bark
2 tsp citric acid
pinch salt
pinch cracked black pepper

Method
Peel then juice citrus, set aside. In a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat, add sugar and water, bring to the boil, reduce to low heat, add remaining ingredients, stir gently. Simmer 20 mins, remove from heat, let stand, cool to room temp. Strain syrup through cheesecloth or coffee filter over a fine mesh strainer.
Refrigerate in an air tight glass container for up to 3 weeks.

Gin and Tonic 1

2 oz gin
1 oz tonic syrup
1/4 oz fresh lime juice
3 oz soda water

Method
In the bottom of an empty highball glass add gin, syrup and lime, stir to combine. Fill glass with ice top with soda, gently stir to combine being careful not to flatten the bubbles. If you are a millionaire you may proceed with a lime garnish as well but it's going to be a tough call, limes are going to be very expensive this year.