Alcoholic beverages have a long history of “curing what ails you,” and while some attributions are simply superstition or merely wishful thinking, many brews offer opportunities for more than just a blissful buzz.Digestifs traditionally help prime the belly for an abundant meal, while apéritifs may similarly settle the stomach following an overindulgent feast, and raw ferments have long been recognized as offering a boost to one’s microbiome. Granted, it’s something I haven’t been able to do for a while thanks to pandemic life (not to mention being a new mom), but I have historically liked to have a cocktail ready for arriving guests to sip and distract while I put the final touches on the meal.Another less obvious advantage of coming up with my own concoctions is that I can experiment with certain hidden benefits of boozy libations. Perhaps it’s because the task is a tad novel since I’m a food writer and nutritionist, or maybe it’s because I bartended for about 10 years to help support my schooling and early stages of my career—either way, muddling, shaking, stirring and pouring holds a special place in my heart.I am by no means a true mixologist, but as a recipe developer I do understand the art of finding balanced and pleasing flavour combinations. Del Rosario College of Business Management and OrganizationWords Ellie Shortt, Photography Lia CroweI have a confession to make: I enjoy coming up with cocktail concoctions slightly more than I do food recipes.
A Votre Sante La Plus Optional Overnight
I should also mention that many of these can be made non-alcoholic by either leaving out the liquor altogether or substituting your favourite zero-proof spirit.So whether you’re beginning to invite friends and family into your homes again and are looking for a fun new refreshment to try together, or if you’re still more comfortable sipping and savouring solo or with your immediate household, I encourage you to raise a toast to making it through an unprecedented, challenging 18 months with an enthusiastic and meaningful salud, prost, kampai or l’chaim…however it is you like to raise a glass to good health.Prep time: 5 minutes (plus optional overnight soak) I just find it provides a depth to the flavour profiles presented in the following offerings. Now, if you’re working with top-shelf liquor, and are only making a drink or two, you might not be so keen on tainting the whole batch, so in this case I suggest separating out what you’d like to infuse and combining it in a sealable glass jar with a smaller sprig of your choosing.Of course, without implementing this method you can still enjoy herbaceous benefits, whether you muddle, shake or simply stir it in, depending on the specific drink and level of botanical intensity you’re seeking. My favourite method of infusing the flavours of herbs into a cocktail is to do just that: take a handful of your select herb, shove it into a bottle of booze of choice, let it sit overnight and strain the next day. As an attempt to focus this undertaking, and recognizing that this is in fact a food column, I went with a much-loved culinary theme: fruit and herbs.While mint may be what commonly comes to mind in the cocktail realm, unexpected herbs usually reserved for savoury dishes—like rosemary, thyme, tarragon and basil—often offer a layer of sophistication and intrigue to an otherwise tiresome tipple. But the greatest benefit of all, perhaps? The smile that spreads across your face after those first couple sips, and that joyful celebratory feeling that overtakes your body as a glass is raised with loved ones.Because I love creating cocktails so much, I have a vast anthology of options and choosing just a few to share here was an admittedly tormenting task.
However, as someone who likes things even less on the sweet side, I often mellow it out with a bit of soda water as well.Prep time: 10 minutes (plus optional overnight soak) I find it offers a more sophisticated and satisfying flavour profile, and isn’t quite as sweet. Add tangerine/orange slices, orange twist and a sprig of tarragon for the garnish.*Note: I use pomegranate juice instead of the classic grenadine in this recipe. Strain and set aside.In a glass filled with ice, add the tequila, top with the tangerine juice and then the pomegranate juice, which will sink to the bottom of the glass, creating a layered effect. optional garnishes: tangerine/orange slices, orange twist, tarragonOptional overnight infusion: In a sealable glass container, or directly in the bottle, combine some tequila and tarragon and let it sit overnight.
Add bourbon (or rye), maple syrup and a couple of dashes of bitters to the shaker and give it a good shake. Add the smoked fig to a shaker and muddle to a pulp. Turn the glass over and release the smoke. Place a rocks glass over the rosemary sprig and chopped fig, and let it rest for 5 minutes. Hold the flame to the rosemary sprig until it catches fire (if it won’t light, dry it in the oven for 10 minutes or so on low heat). Strain and set aside.Place a sprig of fresh rosemary over top of some chopped fig on a flat plate.
Add cardamom, salt and honey, stir to dissolve, and remove from the heat. Strain and set aside.Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. optional garnishes: leftover watermelon chunks,Optional overnight infusion: In a sealable glass container, or directly in the bottle, combine some vodka and mint and let it sit overnight. It’s a different drink, but you still get to enjoy the flavour offerings of this concoction without such a punch. Add sliced fig and a sprig of rosemary for the garnish.*Note: If you usually find an Old Fashioned a bit too strong, topping the drink with some soda water really helps.
Strain and set aside.In a small saucepan combine honey, water and ginger. optional garnishes: sliced pear, cinnamon stick, thymeOptional overnight infusion: In a sealable glass container, or directly in the bottle, combine some rum and thyme and let it sit overnight. 8 oz kombucha (plain or ginger flavoured seem to work best)
If you’re muddling the pears, try transferring the whole contents of the shaker, ice and all, into the glass so you still get the full flavour of the pears as you sip. Add pear slices, a cinnamon stick and a sprig of thyme to garnish.*Note: I find this drink equally as delicious on ice or fully strained more like a martini, hence the ambiguity in the directions. Pour the mixture into a glass and top with 4 ounces of kombucha (more or less depending on how big your glass is and how strong you like your drinks). Combine 2 ounces of rum, 2 ounces of pear puree (or muddled pear) and honey ginger syrup with ice in the shaker and give it a quick shake. Strain into a container, discarding the ginger, cloves and cinnamon stick, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Remove from the heat and set aside to steep for 20 minutes.
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