Hi, everyone. Hope you’re enjoying your summer and have made time to cherish this beautiful weather with good food and drink.  Here in New England we have had one of the hottest Julys in the last quarter century! And with warm weather comes nice juicy fruit and vegetables. What has made this year unlike many years past has been the simple fact that the extremely hot weather has made many of our crops ripe at the same time.  This includes strawberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries and peaches.

Since I can remember, I have loved blueberries above all fruit. When picked at their peak they have a combination of sweetness
and tartness that can make for some unusual drinks as well as desserts. This month, I have chosen a drink that will offer thirst quenching refreshment and is easy to drink, but has a complex and satisfying taste (as well as health benefits)! You’re gonna want to exhale and take a deep breath from this drink’s bouquet before you even sip it. Enjoy!

The Antioxinator

blueberries, fresh

3 basil leaves

2 Tb. simple syrup

2 oz. Grey Goose L’Orange

1 oz. sparkling elderflower*

cranberry juice

orange wedge

Place 4 blueberries into pint glass. Place 2 basil leaves into glass.  Add 4 squirts, or 2 tablespoons, of simple syrup into glass. Muddle everything in the glass for 10 seconds, or until crushed. Pour 2 ounces of Grey Goose L’Orange into glass and shake for 10 seconds.  Add 1 ounce of sparkling elderflower.  Strain into highball glass packed with ice.  Add a splash of cranberry juice for color and taste.  Garnish with orange wedge cut into a small triangle or quarter.  Place 1 basil leaf next to orange wedge and top leaf with 1 blueberry.  Add a straw and enjoy!

This cocktail makes for a great sipper anywhere outside in the summer. The orange, blueberry, cranberry, basil, and elderflower offer sweet, tart, floral and spicy flavors in a classic presentation.

*If you are unable to find sparkling elderflower, soda water works fine.

Fourth of July is a week from this Sunday.  Have you begun planning your celebration?

What time will the party begin?  Who will you invite?  What food will you serve?  With so many things to consider, you may decide to take the easy route on beverages and simply provide coolers filled with soda and beer.  However, for a once a year event, doesn’t it seem worth the effort to make a special cocktail for the occasion?

Feeling Blue is the perfect cocktail for a Fourth of July party.  First, it is a bright blue drink that will coordinate nicely with your red, white, and blue decorations.  Second, it has a refreshing orange flavor, which will help keep your guests cool on a hot summer day.  Third, it can be made as an individual drink for each guest, or the recipe can be multiplied to make a pitcher for all of the adults in attendance.

Get ready to celebrate the red, white, and blue with your own festive cocktail!

Feeling Blue

1-1/2 oz. of Van Gogh Blue Vodka
1/2 oz. orange liqueur
1/2 oz blue curacao
1 oz orange juice
2 splashes of sour mix
orange slice

Fill a lowball glass with ice.  Add first five ingredients, and stir well.  Garnish with orange slice.

Editor’s Note:  Last week we introduced you to our newest columnist, Jared- The Crafty Bartender.  This week we are pleased to deliver his first recipe.  In typical Jared fashion, there are great ingredients and a fabulous presentation to this beverage.

We hope you enjoy this recipe, his delightful use of strawberries, and return for his monthly delights for the senses.  And now, we will turn this space over to Jared. . .

For the month of June, I have chosen a fun martini. Because we are in the mist of a fantastic strawberry crop here in New Hampshire, I elected to make a Strawberry Shortcake with plump, sweet strawberries provided by Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis NH.

Strawberry Shortcake Martini

3 strawberries

2 tsp. simple syrup or 1 tsp. sugar

1 oz. Stoli Strawberry Vodka

1 oz. Stoli Vanilla Vodka

splash white creme de cacao

1/8 oz. half & half

1 shortcake

2 Tb. vanilla syrup

1. Muddle 3 plump strawberries that have been stemmed and cleaned in cold water in a 16-ounce pint glass.

2. Add 2 teaspoons of simple syrup or 1 teaspoon of sugar.

3. Add Stoli Strawberry Vodka, Stoli Vanilla Vodka, white creme de cacao, and half & half.

4. Cover and shake vigorously for 10 seconds.

5. Chill an 8-ounce martini glass. (When using this size, you will only pour in 6 ounces of the drink).

6. In a small plate, shave one whole shortcake into fine pieces.  (Please note, you can purchase store-bought shortcakes, or you can make your own using a Bisquick mix, which I prefer.  Please note, when using the Bisquick brand, the recipe on the box says to use equal parts water and milk.  I prefer to use 1 part water to 3 parts milk, as it makes it a little richer in texture.  Before baking make sure to egg wash all your biscuits to create a golden glaze.)

7. In another small plate pour in vanilla syrup.  You can use a store bought brand like Smuckers, or make your own.  (I will be addressing homemade simple syrups, whipped cream, and layering cream in future columns.)

8. Invert martini glass into plate of vanilla syrup and rim the outside of the glass.  Syrup should be no more than 1/16 inch from the top of the rim.

9. Then place the glass into the shaved shortcake bread.

10. Pour martini into glass.

11. Place a dollop of whipped cream on the edge of glass.

12. Cut a small piece (half) of strawberry and place on the whipped cream.

13. Voila! Enjoy.

Parched No More is pleased to announce that we have added the talents of Jared Bracci (the editorial team’s pick for best bartender, ever) to our writing team.  Every month he will introduce you to a fabulous cocktail.  Monthly recipes will begin next week, as we thought we should start with an introduction from Jared.  So, without further ado, here is Jared!

Welcome to my new mixology column.  My name is Jared Bracci, and it is my hope that some of my creations will bring a smile to your stomach and pleasure to your party.  When I work behind the bar (presently at Old Amserdam in Nashua, New Hampshire) I go to work with 3 general rules to help guide me through the evening and make your experience as pleasurable as possible.

1.  Make every cocktail like it’s your last one.  Why would someone want to do this?  After all, it might slow you down, and make for frustrated customers. Honestly, unless you’re working at a nightclub, trust me on this one.  An extra few moments on a cocktail can make all the difference in the world to the quality and presentation of the drink.  In addition, it will help separate your establishment from the competition, as there are many restaurants and bars doing wonderful things and you want to stick out. In addition, if the patron knows you really care, they are more likely to consider coming back often and perhaps turning into a regular. And lastly, I want the customer, who is paying hard earned money to get the best I have to offer.  If for some reason it is not enjoyed by the patron, at least you now you tried your best and you have now enabled yourself to tune in with the patron’s likes and dislikes. Hence, it’s more than likely you can give them exactly what they want when making there next cocktail.

2.  Think seasonally and locally.  Like a good chef, try and tap into your creativity by letting the season decide what it is you’re going to make.  J. Lohr, the famous winery in Paso Robles, California, has a wonderful motto that has always resonated with me. “We let the land decide.”  The land decide what?  Simply, the varietal of grape that is going to be grown in the specific vineyard. Different varietals will grow better in specific climates. With this said, it would only make sense that certain fruits and vegetables taste much better when in season, and more specifically, the one’s that thrive in the region where you live.

3. Learn to excel outside the box.  We have heard the adage, “Think outside the box.”  This is great, however, it’s only a beginning.  Being able to excel outside the box means being able to execute the best we can under certain situations and make it look (and taste) like it’s what we planned the whole time.  Always have a B and a C plan. If you run out of an ingredient, try and find something to replace it.  This requires fine tuning your palate, enough to understand as much as you can about herbs, spices, flowers, fruits, nuts, vegetables and how this translates into how you set up your home bar, or what liqueur you will use to replace one you have run out of.

And, of course, do all three with a confident smile on your face!

A gentle ocean breeze.  Warm, late afternoon sunshine on your shoulders.  Cobblestone sidewalk under your feet.  Tasty cocktails at each one of your destinations.

The good news is that isn’t a dream sequence.  It is exactly what you could be enjoying if you attend the 4th Annual Portsmouth Cocktail Competition on Sunday, June 6th.  Held in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire, from 4-8 pm, it is sure to please cocktail connoisseurs.

Portsmouth is a wonderful walking city with an incredible array of shops and restaurants.  Of course, if you’re planning on attending the cocktail festival, you should plan to shop before the festival starts.  With ten different restaurants and bars participating, you’re going to need all four hours to visit each of these locales.   The current list of participants includes Dolphin Striker, Fat Belly’s, Hilton Garden Inn, The Page, Portsmouth Gas Light Co., Riverhouse, Ri Ra Irish Pub, Sake, Sheraton Hotel, and TJ’s Portsmouth.

The competition begins with a kick-off at the Portsmouth Gas Light Co. where you will receive your souvenir shot glass and event map.  From there you can choose how many destinations you want to visit and in what order you’ll visit them.  However, you should plan to end your stroll at Ri Ra Irish Pub.  Here, you can participate in the wrap-up party that will feature the band, Flush.

Tickets can be purchased in advance for $30 or at the door for $40.  The price of admission includes tastings at 9 restaurants, a social business card, the aforementioned shot glass, and entrance to the wrap-up party.  To learn more about this great event or to purchase tickets, please visit the Portsmouth Cocktail website.