Week 5: Creativity from the Cupboard

Last week was all about taking advantage of the season and learning how to incorporate fresh seasonal produce. This week will be all about taking advantage of the grocery store and mass produced items. Not only will you be working on splitting juices in a sour, you will be honing some of our McGayver skills by making drinks out of things found in your or your friends' pantries. It will be fun!

It might sound crazy, but these skills will come in handy, because as more people know you make a great drink, the more often you’ll be asked to do so when visiting friends or at parties––often in home bars that are far from perfect. Heck, once in a pinch I actually muddled Altoids into a drink to add mint flavors.

Hardware:

• Boston Shaker

• Jigger

• Mesh Strainer

• Hawthorn Strainer

• Julep Strainer

• Spoon

Ingredients:

• Lemons

• Jarred Peach or Apricot Preserves

• Apple Juice Box

• Any Syrups You Choose to Use

FRUIT PRESERVERS & JAMS

In my experience kitchen pantries and cabinets are packed with unopened preserves, jellies and jams. Luckily, you can use them in cocktails, so it’s a good idea to be comfortable using them.

Things to Keep in Mind:

• Preserves, jellies and jams have solids in them that will not break down in a drink, so you will need to use more thank you might expect, and will also need to double strain the drink to remove the particles

• Preserves, jellies and jams contain both sugar and acid, so expect to add less additional citrus (lemon, lime) and most likely will not use a syrup at all will use less additional citrus and most likely will not use a syrup at all

• Every manufacturer of preserve/jelly/jam will contain different amounts of sugar, so always be sure to taste the product on it’s own before you use it. Also, remember to note the brand used in your recipe. (Don't worry, even if you you change up the brand, you will likely be in the ballpark with your original recipe, it’s just good to note for reference.)

• A good rule of thumb when starting out is to pair stone fruits with brown spirits and berries with white spirits. However, nothing is set in stone. (Ha, dad joke!) It's just a place to start feeling free as you have fun and experiment.

Recipe for a Drink with Preserves

• 2 oz. of Bourbon

• 1 oz. Peach Preserves

• .5 oz. Lemon Juice

• Dry Shake* (*shake with no ice)

• *TASTE* (Can you taste the peach? Does it need more citrus? Does it need more sweetness? Ginger or cinnamon syrups would be great in this if more sweetness is needed.)

• Adjust and make any additions to find balance in the cocktail

• Shake & Double Strain (combo of Hawthorn & Mesh strainers)

• Taste again. Is it the winning recipe? If so, write the recipe in your cocktail journal

MASS PRODUCED JUICES

At this point we all know that fresh is best when it comes to cocktails, but...sometimes you want a little extra free time, especially on the weekends. I use store bought juices and purees in my home bar all the time. There are just a few things to remember.

• ALWAYS READ THE LABEL. When shopping for store bought juices and purees, look for a juice that contains as few ingredients as possible with the primary juice fruit listed first. The ingredient list tends to be pretty straight forward for Orange and Grapefruit juices, but might not be as clear for other juices. Some packaged brands will include just enough of the fruit on the label to call it by name, but the majority of the product will be a more neutral juice like pear (basically no flavor), and you’ll want to avoid those brands.

• Check the frozen food section. There are some great fruit purees with minimal ingredients. Once defrosted, a puree will last about 4 days if refrigerated.

• Juice Boxes are great for the home bar. They offer a single-serve portion and are easy to store so you can keep a variety of options in your "Go Bar." Just read the label!

• Don't use shelf-stable pre-made drink mixes like "Margarita." They are made with citric acid (think Sour Patch Kids) and corn syrup.

• Also do not use store bought lemon or lime aid in cocktails. They already contain water, and will make for a diluted drink when you shake it out with ice.

USING MULTIPLE JUICES IN A SOUR

Using multiple juices in a sour – incorporating another juice in addition to the citrus juice – is a great way to add flavor to a simple build. However, as I’ve mentioned before, most juices do not have enough acid to stand-up in a cocktail on their own and would result in an unbalanced drink. To avoid this, I usually start by balancing the juice with citrus first, then using that combination to make a cocktail. You’ll also need to decide if you want to use a syrup sweetener in your drink. (I almost always do include a syrup.) If you do plan to use a syrup, I recommend first blending the juice you’re using with the citrus juice and syrup to make sure . You’ll want the additional Juice to be the primary flavor, and to make sure that the blend isn’t too tart or too sweet.

Any juice will work, just find the right balance. Once you have a balanced Juice & Syrup blend, you can use it to build a cocktail. For this example, let’s use the Apple Juice Juice Box.

Blending Juices & Syrups

• Fold up one of the ends of the juice box and snip off the end with a pair of scissors

• Use a sharp object to poke a hole where the straw goes (now it will be easy to pour the juice)

• 1 oz. Apple Juice

• .25oz. Lemon Juice

• .25 oz. Cinnamon Syrup

• *TASTE* (Can you taste the additional juice? Is it tart enough to balance a mixed drink? Are the flavors of the Juice, the Citrus, and the Syrup balanced?)

• Add more Apple juice, Lemon juice or Cinnamon syrup as needed until you find the balance that works for your drink

Recipe for a Sour with Multiple Juices

• 2oz. Bourbon.

• 1oz. Apple Juice

• .75oz. Lemon Juice

• .25oz Cinnamon Syrup

• Shake & strain

• *TASTE* Is it balanced?

• Make any necessary changes, and then add the winning juice blend and cocktail recipe to your book

NOTE: The combination of the primary juice, citrus juice and syrup total more than the approximate 2 oz. typically used in a sour. Just remember that the more juice you use, the less of the base liquor you will taste. This starts to get into “long drink” territory, which will be covered in later posts.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE

Make a drink using Carrot Juice. Think about the way you like to eat carrots and try to incorporate those flavors. For example, I enjoy carrots roasted with maple syrup, so I came up with the recipe below. You can see a picture of this cocktail HERE.

• 2 oz. Bourbon

• .75oz. Carrot Juice

• .75oz Lemon Juice

• .25oz. Maple Syrup

• Small pinch of Cayenne Pepper

Now it’s your turn. Share your creation on Instagram with the #JRinthehomeBAR and tag me @JRintheBAR.

SHOPPING LIST FOR NEXT WEEK

• More lemons

• Eggs

• 15 oz can Organic Chickpeas (*they tend to contain less sodium, which will impacts the flavor of your drinks)

• 6-pack of Dole canned pineapple juice (6oz cans)

• More sweeteners if you need them