Life in Provence

So I have finally gotten around to reading the works of Peter Mayle. I started with A Year in Provence and it brought up so many great memories, hopes and dreams. And a pretty good cocktail.

The days were warm enough for swimming, the nights cool enough for fires, Indian Summer weather.

I can see myself ...learning French (or Spanish, Greek...or Italian) and working on our pastoral home, building it to our needs and wants. Take in the local cuisine and culture. Become natives in a new land. I could be happy adjusting to life that is ruled by the passing seasons. Watching our dogs play while we host our friends and loved ones. My parents are doing it now, part-time, but I know they want to do it full time as soon as it allows. I have less responsibility (no mortgage, kids, etc..) but I don't want to do it alone. I am a social girl and I need that one true lover, companion, friend, partner to be in it with me. In it till the sweet end. So in hopes of finding the sweet pastoral ending to my life, I fixed myself a sweet fragrant cocktail tonight. It has the fresh citrus of the country, the herbs of Provence (lavender) and the secret ingredient is the homemade calvados from the French countryside.

Provincial Countrytime
Gin
Lillet
Lavender simple syrup
Fresh squeezed lime or lemon
Lemon & Orange bitters
Calvados

Farmer’s Market Cocktails

Believe it or not, completely independent of this week’s episode of Top Chef, I also went shopping at the Union Square Greenmarket. Adam and I didn’t even fire up the DVR to watch Top Chef until we had already consumed many of the cocktails listed below. My goal was not a chicken dinner, but fresh cocktails, natch! Using ingredients local, seasonal and unusual, I did a trial run of what my day in San Francisco will be like next week. Below are the literal fruits of my labor.

Apple Pie-tini

Sweet juicy tart Wine Sap apples
Vodka
Calvados (a bit of a cheat since I will probably have none in SF)
Dash of lemon juice
¼ of a vanilla bean
cinnamon
agave syrup
Caramel sugar rim. *that was Adam’s favorite part

Muddle the heck out of the chopped apple with the vanilla bean, lemon, cinnamon and agave. Add cracked ice, vodka and calavados. Pour into cocktail glass, with caramel rim*. You might not need the lemon, I just always liked my mom’s lemony apple pie and this tasted just like it, minus her fabulous crust..hmm…maybe THAT should be the rim?

*to make the rim, heat some natural cane sugar in a small saucepan over a low heat. When caramelized, let cool slightly and dip non-chilled glass in the pan to coat the rim. Chilling the glass before hand may cause the glass to break.

The Concord Fizz

Bunch of Concord Grapes
Cane Sugar
Lemon Verbena
Dash of lemon bitters
Vodka
Club Soda or sparking wine (pref from NY State)

Muddle the grapes, sugar and bitters. Add ice, vodka and shake vigorously. Pour into cocktail glass and top with wine or soda. Add a sprig of lemon verbena speared with a grape

This one reminded me of summers at my grandma and grandpa’s farm. I love the grapey taste on Concords and the verbena added and very pleasant herby flavor. The color is gorgeous! This was Adam’s favorite of the night.

The Black and Blue

Blackberries
Blueberries
Lemon Basil
Thai Basil
Vodka
Maraschino Liquor
Honey to taste


Muddle together the two berries and the two basils (I went a little muddle mad last night) with the Maraschino. Add ice and vodka, shake and strain though a fine mesh strainer into a cocktail glass (you want avoid those blackberry seeds, as we learned on Top Chef this season). Add honey to taste if its too tart, but I like my drinks tart. Garnish with a sprig from one of the basils, I used the Thai because it is purple like the drink. Again, gorgeous color with this drink!

The Green Monster

Ogen melon - the “internets” say this melon is from Israel, perfect for Yon Kippur I guess!
Lemon Thyme – pick the leaves off
Lemon Basil - pick the leaves off
Vodka
St Germain Elderflower liquor

Blend all ingredients in a blender and you get a frothy, tasty treat. The fresh smoothie quality makes it seems like its good for you! The color is bright green, however.

The Sweet Tart!

So every once in a while, mistakes are made. I will get suckered in by some cool packaging, a nifty ad campaign or a good sale and end up buying a mistake. Vermouth, mixers, liquors clutter up my 2nd cocktail cart and gather dust in their dark cave of uselessness.

But rather than admit defeat, I look for ways to use, abuse or re-create the mistake into a tasty cocktail concoction.

Last night, as I was making Adam his nightly cocktail, inspiration struck. I had this bottle of vodka mixed with calvados. Sounds like it would be good? Not really. But I pour a hefty amount in the shaker anyway. What could I mix it with to make it more palatable? Apple cider first came to mind. The weather has had an unseasonable chilly and fall drinks have been on my mind. But that would require a 1am trip to he deli, and I wasn’t in the mood. Besides, that would be too easy. I like the challenge of making something out of whatever we have on hand. Looking down at our bar cart, I see the small bottle of family made bootleg Calvados from France that Adam received from his last employer.

Just a dash of that goes in the shaker. Its like moonshine and too good to waste if the drink is a dud. The fumes rising from the shaker tell me its is strong enough, now to round out the flavors. Some Grand Marnier goes in, as does the juice of one lemon. Wow! That is tart! Ok…some sweetness is in order. I was about to reach for the agave, when I saw another mistake in the fridge.

V8 Tropical Twister should have been easy to pass on, the color alone looks like nothing in nature. But it was purchased during the humid spell we had last week and I was craving juice to quench my endless thirst. It was too sweet to drink straight, but it just might do the trick for this drink. In the shaker it goes...

The result? A perfect Sweet Tart! Poured into my vintage champagne coups it looked like a beautiful late summer rose. The flavor was bright and strong. Even Adam declared it a success!

Mistakes can be magic!