One of the great things about Oregon is blackberries grow everywhere. What to do with an abundance of free fruit after making, jam, vinegar, pies, and freezing pounds of them for winter? Make Creme de Mure. Below is a basic ratio. I like lemon zest and cinnamon as added flavor, but star anise, all spice, lime zest or whatever may excite you also work great. I usually double this.
Creme de Mure
4 cups fresh ripe blackberries
2 1/2 cups grain alcohol
1 1/2 cups brandy-cheap is fine
2 cups simple syrup
1 cinnamon stick
1 large strip lemon peel-no pith
In a large enough glass jar all all ingredients, stir to combine and then cover. Store in a cool dark place for 2 weeks shaking once a day. Taste after 2 weeks, if not enough blackberry flavor continue for another week or two. Once to taste strain and discard all solids. If flavor is too strong alcohol wise add more simple syrup to taste. Age in glass bottles at least a month before serving.
Once again the new year is upon us and that means resolutions. With that in mind, here are the standout drinks from the 12 cocktails of Christmas. We tried quite a few drinks with absinthe, and 2 really surprised, aside from the always great Sazerac. The first is a vermouth dominate cocktail, The Chrysanthemum, which was the biggest surprise and pictured above. Light and refreshing it pairs perfectly with oysters or as a starting cocktail before appetizers are served. As Bill Murray has mentioned, “it reminds me of Rome, in the evening when the sun lights the buildings.” When it comes to absinthe, I like Oregon Spirits’. It is well priced, at around $60, has a higher proof than some more expensive brands and gives a good complexity of flavors. If unavailable, Absinthe Ordinaire is an excellent substitute due to its price of $30.
Chrysanthemum
2 oz Comoz Blanc Vermouth de Chambrey
1 oz Benedictine
1/3 oz absinthe
orange twist
Chill a coupe or martini glass. In a mixing glass filled with ice stir all ingredients well, express orange twist into glass, strain drink in and garnish with twist.
The second standout is the Absinthe Flip. There is a raw egg in this and since it can not be divided in half, this recipe will always make at least 2. The best egg for this would be fresh from the farm at room temperature. If unavailable do the best you can. For those concerned with eating raw egg, skip this, even coddling the egg for 30 seconds affects it too much.
lighter than eggnog but just as creamy
Absinthe Flip
1 1/2 oz absinthe
1 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
3 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar
1 egg
grated nutmeg
Add lemon juice and sugar to a shaker and mix until dissolved. Add remaining ingredients except nutmeg with ice and shake until light yellow and frothy. For the extra ambitious strain ice and dry shake again. Pour into small goblets or glass mug and top with grated nutmeg.
Moving away from absinthe, the next cocktail was the group favorite. It was so good that before a photo could be taken it was gone.
Old Gal
1 oz Old Overholt bonded rye
1 oz Aperol
1 oz La Quintinye Vermouth Royal Blanc
pinch kosher salt
orange zest
Fill shaker with ice and sprinkle salt over. Let sit 2-3 minutes then add remaining ingredients. Stir well, strain into coupe glass and garnish with orange zest.
boozy but so good
Being a lover of Manhattans this last one was my favorite. When it comes to cognac, any mid range will work but I do like Pierre Ferrand or Cognac Park for quality at a low price.
Preakness Manhattan
1 1/2 oz Old Grandad bonded bourbon
1/4 oz VSOP Cognac
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth
3 dashes Angostura bitters
lemon twist
Chill a martini glass. In a shaker filled with ice stir all ingredients. Express lemon into glass and strain. Garnish with lemon twist.
Mix berries, sugars, zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, flour and cornstarch in large bowl until flour is mixed well. Let stand for 1=3 hours. Make pie dough and refrigerate. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut pie dough in half and roll out bottom sheet. Place in greased pie dish and fill with berries. Take other half of dough and cut into lattice strips. Weave lattice and brush with egg wash sealing all the connections. Dust with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 25 minutes then place cover over crust edge, turn heat to 375 degrees and bake until bubbly all over about 45 minutes more. If top becomes to dark cover entirely. Cool for 4 hours before serving or placing in refrigerator. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
These are the best cocktails we tried for this years 12 Cocktails of Christmas. For the first time a scotch based one made the cut.
Colleen Bawn
1 egg
3/4 oz Old Overholt bonded rye
3/4 oz yellow Chartreuse
3/4 oz Benedictine D.O.M
2 tsp simple syrup
Beat egg with simple syrup until pale golden and fully combined. In a shaker with ice add liquors and egg mixture. Shake vigorously until it begins to foam. Strain into chilled martini glass. For the truly adventurous, strain ice from mixture after first shake, return contents to shaker and dry shake again to really get it foamy.
Blood and Sand
3/4 oz Dewars 12 yr blended scotch
3/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Originale
3/4 oz Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
3/4 oz fresh squeezed and strained orange juice
Place all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well and serve in wine or coupe glass garnished with orange peel.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees & line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream butter with sugars then add egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add baking soda, mix then salt & mix again. Alternating between flour & coconut add 1/2 cup of each until the flour is gone & a 1/2 cup of coconut remains. Place remaining coconut in a separate bowl. Spoon 1 1/2 tbsp of batter into a ball and roll in the coconut. Place on the cookie sheet 1 1/2″ apart and press down into a disk. Repeat with remaining dough. Place cookies in oven and bake 12-15 minutes until light golden. Remove from oven and liberally sprinkle each cookie with cinnamon sugar. Place back into oven & bake 3-5 minutes more. Place on racks to cool.
A friend had an over abundance of olives on their trees this season and I was kind enough to take as many as they wanted to give. I tested out some different ways to preserve the olives & this is what worked best. I am not sure what variety theses are but they are very peppery and have medium sized pits. Adjust times for the brine based on the size of the olives.
Rinse all the olives and discard any leaves & stems. One at a time cut an x to the tip of the pit into the stem hole of each olive and place in a container large enough to hold all the olives or at least 10 lbs worth. Discard any olives that are mushy, blemished or damaged. Cover with cold water and place a lid on container. Store container in a cool dark place and change the water once a day for 14 days. After 14 days taste an olive. If too bitter continue to soak in cold water, changing each day until they breach an acceptable taste. This can take up to another month. Once olives are too your liking they are ready to brine.
Follow standard cold pack instructions. The brine amount below will fill 8-10 24 oz mason jars depending on the size of the olives. Cover the olives in the boiling brine and fill jars slightly lower than normal. Top each jar with olive oil to bring it up to the required height before sealing. Once sealed let olives sit 2 weeks before opening. Sort the olives in the containers by size to aid in the evenness of brining and open the smaller ones before the larger.
Olive Brine
1 cup sea salt
10 cups water
2 cups white vinegar
1 lemon juiced with halves
3 cloves garlic per jar
Add all ingredients but garlic in a large pot and bring to a boil. Pour over packed olive jars adding garlic to each one. Top with olive oil and seal. Refrigerate any jars that do not ping.
The twelve cocktails of Christmas this year have two successes already. This is a great addition for anyone who likes rye mixed with bitter citrus. I like Old Overholt bonded and Vya sweet vermouth for this.
The Greenpoint
2 oz bonded rye
1/2 oz yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash cardamon bitters
lemon twist to garnish
In a mixing glass with ice stir all ingredients until incorporated. Strain into martini glass and garnish with lemon peel.
This uses Cynar but other amaros can be substituted for a completely different flavor.
Bitter Giuseppe
2 oz Cynar amaro
1 oz Cocchi Storico Vermouth di Torino
1/4 oz lemon juice
5-6 dashes orange bitters
lemon twist for garnish
Fill serving glass with ice. In a mixing vessel add all ingredients with ice and stir until well incorporated. Dump ice from serving glass and express the lemon juice/oil while zesting the twist into it. Add twist to glass and pour cocktail in. Serve immediately.
My take on the classic using fish from the northwest.
Cioppino
1 lb salmon cut into 2″ strips skin still on
24 clams
12 mussels
1 dungeness crab
1 lb shrimp shelled
4 anchovy fillets
1 fennel diced fine & 2 tbsp fronds chopped fine
1 onion diced fine
4-5 garlic minced
1-2 cayenne peppers chopped fine
1 can 28 oz whole tomoates crushed by hand
8 cups fish stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
2-3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
2 tbsp tomato paste
crusty bread
Shell crab leaving legs & claws intact. Make a shellfish stock with remaining crab shells & shrimp shells that yields about 4 cups. In large stock pot melt 3 tbsp butter with 1 tbsp olive oil over low heat. Add onion and saute until golden brown. Add fennel and saute until soft. Add galic chili pepper & anchovy and cook until fish dissolves. Add tomato paste and stir until incorporated on vegetables. Turn heat to high, add wine & deglaze pan. Add tomatoes, both stocks & oregano, bring to a boil then simmer until reduced by a 1/4, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper then add the mussels, clams & crab in shell. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover & discard any shells that did not open. Then add shrimp, crab meat & salmon & cook 5 minutes more. Serve in deep bowls with bread to dip.
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide 