Cucumber Mint Martini

Going thru the fridge again, looking to use up some stuff I wondered what kind of drink I could make with a cucumber, besides just putting it in some water. Came across the cucumber mint martini, and I love it. Guess the flavor combo has been a thing for me lately, but whatever. It's so refreshing, cool, and a perfect porch sipper. Admittedly, I was skeptical of a skin-on cucumber purée in a drink, expecting it to be a bit chewy or lumpy but it was pleasantly not that way at all. It's not very sweet and goes down like a proper summer cocktail should. 

Annoyingly this does take a minute, so it's more of a Saturday sipper rather than an after-work quick pour. Worth it though, I promise. Here it is, adapted from this recipe:

1 cucumber, ends removed, washed and chopped (skin on)

4-5 mint leaves

1 oz. lime or lemon juice

1 oz. simple syrup (optional; can substitute 2 Tbsp. of sugar)

1.5 - 2 oz. vodka or gin 

Put the cucumber, mint, lime juice and syrup in a blender - an immersion blender works fine - and purée until smooth. Use a fine-mesh strainer to pour through into a shaker, discarding the pulp. (I have a small 3" strainer similar to this that works perfectly.) Add the vodka or gin and shake with ice. Serve in a martini glass with fresh mint leaves and/or lime slice. 

Notes:  Superfine sugar works best for drinks if you opt for it over syrup. I used vodka and lime juice but the gin and lemon are potentially more tangy options; mix 'n' match as you like.

Found Spritzer

Grabbed a new-to-me Found Sparkling Water from a cooler at a cafe because the cucumber mint flavor sounded great to pair with my lunch. Looks like they've got other tasty options too: elderflower,  watermelon basil,  lemon. Great flavor indeed, but irked at the sugar content. It's sparkling water,  people! That should mean NO sugar and NO sodium. Ugh.

If I can just get past that irritation and lump it in the "tonic-like" category and use it as a mixer,  I think I can like/use the product. (After all most tonics are riddled with sugar.) Still feels like a let-down though, and makes me want to give my fave folks at La Croix some flavor combo ideas.

Local Three Kitchen & Bar

A colleague and I met up for happy hour at Local Three Kitchen & Bar last night. Great ambiance,  decent patio,  and all the food is locally sourced. Had a great redfish and fresh succotash, and a wonderful gin cocktail called "Yeeha, Jester's Dead." Made of cucumber-infused Ford's Gin and a squeeze of fresh lemon and grapefruit juices, garnished with a sprig of fresh dill.
Loved it! Had several cocktails with dill in them recently... inspired to experiment with it in the home bar. Would definitely go back for that cocktail alone,  but probably sooner rather than later as I understand the menu changes regularly...

Cherry Moscow Mule

     Just tried making this Cherry Moscow Mule

 to use up some cherries (on sale $1.99/Lb. @ Whole Foods for Prime members _whatWhat_). Not bad, but shockingly less cherry flavor than I was expecting for having muddled 8 cherries in one mug; the ginger beer is a very overpowering flavor. Side note: always use ginger beer if that is what is called for - ginger ale is much sweeter and will not provide the intended flavor.

     It's pretty chunky with all the muddled fruit so texture-sensitive folks might not be into it. [Sadly, all the fruit covered up my nice lime wedge garnish, so apologies for the underwhelming photo.] Think I might up the lime and the kirsch content next time. Admittedly, not everyone has cherry liqueur on hand, but for the few who cook with it or have some in a dusty bottle on the shelf last touched several years ago (cough, cough *me* cough). This recipe is worth repeating though, or at a minimum, a good base to improvise from.

     By extension, it wouldn't be a mule without the ginger beer and vodka, but I might experiment with replacing the ginger beer with lime soda water & see if the cherries don't shine more then. I would say you might be able to make this one non-alcoholic...but really no. It wouldn't be the same drink. Will keep you posted! #experimenting

Little Spirit Cocktail Bar

This weekend after a gut-busting afternoon standing in line with friends (40 min!) for the fantasmically good fried chicken at the new Hattie B's in town, I was persuaded to forego the day drinking in favor of night drinking out in Inman Park. Word on the street was that a new cocktail bar replaced Amer (another closed cocktail bar that ironically still has a webpage up?) and opened just last month. Little Spirit turned out to be okay but not amazing. Here are my first impressions.

The Bar:

• Nice ambient lighting and cozy layout. Everyone looks better in a soft glow - sober even.
• Super loud - do not go for an intimate conversation. We tried and maybe didn't fail but it is certainly awkward to express compassion when yelling. 
• No food yet - supposedly small plates are forthcoming, but nothing available at this time (granted I was only looking at the wall menu; the bar was too packed to see if there were paper menus lying around)
• Definitely a "scene" vibe to the place. 'Bros & Co.' everywhere, but the crowd was diverse in race and age.
• Handfull of chairs/stools - don't go looking to post up for a while. Get in, get your drink, be seen, get out.
• Can't say anything about the prices as they're not posted and my friend graciously treated. Probably no $4 specials though.
• Interesting, fun artwork by local artist Erica Arndts - Biggie & Tupac made a showing...along with Flava Flav. Portraits of Julia Child and David Bowie were also on display. Great way to show off local talent, but there was no hip-hop playing or other theme established with the decor so it seemed a bit random...but obviously not random art since it was all the same artist...whatever.

The Drink: 

• I got the Berry Me with muddled mint, strawberries, agave, and mezcal. Essentially a Mint Julep with strawberries and smoke; served in a julep glass with crushed ice even. 
• The smokey mezcal added an unexpected depth to the drink and takes away some of the sweetness, but it still quite sweet and either the crushed ice diluted it too quickly or the barkeep went light on the booze as it wasn't terribly strong. 
• Agave sounds like a neat additive until you realize it's a diabetic-friendly sub-in for simple syrup and tastes about the same.
• Friends got the Dutchess, which came out looking like red rum punch with a pineapple frond poking out. Aperol made it ok, but the rose flavor does get lost. 
• Meh.

Overall: 

Pleasant enough and refreshing on a hot summer night, but I'll probably order something else next time. If I go back.

Café Mozart at Café Intermezzo

Image source: CaféIntermezzo.com

For a little slice of Old World Europe right here in Georgia, Café Intermezzo is not to be missed. From the cramped outdoor seating to the patisserie options reminiscent of the best cafés in Europe, its selection of tempting delights will transport you to a transcendent trans-Atlantic euphoria for a few blissful spoonfuls until you have to interact with the staff and remember that yes, you're still in the ATL.

The food here is edible, but don't kid yourself - everyone is here for the desserts and the book-pamphlet coffee menu. It has become somewhat of a regular celebration place for birthdays, showers, farewells and kvetching with my friends, and we try to pick times that don't have long waits but that is often a gamble as it is centrally located on 11th & Peachtree Streets and open for late dining. If you can find a space reserved for retail customers, park at the 11th St. Garage near the Loews front entrance to get 2 hours validated.

Frequently I struggle to just pick one coffee, but I have repeated the luxe Café Mozart (pictured here) - espresso with melted chocolate and a healthy dollop of sweetened whipped cream  - it will either stop your heart or speed up your GI tract. Or both. Pretty much a dessert in itself, you don't really need anything else. But you don't come here for an exercise in moderation. So I usually pair it with something less sugary like one of the staider European tarts or some fruit. Also, try the lovely Frutti di Bosco tart or one of the lovely mousse cake creations for lighter but still sinful fare.

Watermelon Basil Cooler

With a bunch of watermelon about to go bad recently, I went looking for a watermelon basil recipe that might make a great summer cocktail to try over the 4th of July holiday. Perusing some online options I came across this NYT recipe and loved its simplicity and versatility. Actually going to assemble it, however, was a bit annoying since it doesn't actually give the right proportions for one glassful. Here's the ratio I used:

4 oz. Watermelon purée
1.5 oz. Basil infused simple syrup
1.5 - 2 oz. Gin
Fresh basil or mint to garnish

Mix in shaker and strain into an old-fashioned glass over ice.

All good and well, but that's even a bit too cloyingly sweet for my tastes, so I tested out some modifications:

• Juice of 1/2 lime - this alone was very helpful to the recipe
• Substitute tequila for gin - not bad except didn't tone down the sweet factor much
• You could use white rum, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking to take away sweetness. If using rum, definitely add the lime - probably makes this more of a watermelon daiquiri, but whatever. 
• Substitute mint for basil in the syrup - very refreshing 
• Add a slice of fresh peeled ginger - a bit of unexpected zip but can be strong 
• Random discovery: Pour 2 oz. watermelon purée into 4 oz. of sparkling rosé wine - definitely not the cocktail I originally intended, but pretty damn good
• Best option: pour into a highball glass over ice and fill up with watermelon seltzer water, roughly 2-4 oz. to taste (I used a new-to-me option from Whole Foods called Waterloo) - this took care of the saccharine issue and added a little fizz - perfect for summer patio sitting. Could also be used with lime LaCroix or other brand soda water.

Simple enough to make but generally not a cocktail you make without planning to, with the basic prep work for the ingredients. With the proportions increased, however, I see no reason why this couldn't be made in a pitcher - virgin or alcoholic - but leave a spoon in the pitcher for stirring as the purée does separate if left sitting for too long.