Lemon Basil Julep

In this hot summer heat wave, its good to look to the drinks that our Cocktail forefathers turned to before the days of air-conditioning.  You may be filled with visions of fine southern gentlemen and their dainty ladies sipping Juleps on the porch of their plantation, but this drink is rooted in pre-antebellum times and was far more global.  First of all, as a classification, it does not have to have Bourbon in it, nor mint for that matter.  A Julep is all about the construction and perfect melding of sugar, spirit and ice.The Julep is one of the oldest cocktails and in the 1700's was used for medicinal purposes with all sorts of herbal relief, not just Mint.

So lets put a modern twist to this summer chiller and head to the Farmer's Market for some seasonal herbs.  Lemon Basil, which is now in season, has a crisp clean antiseptic quality to it.  It is heartier than regular basil and not as sweet with a verbena -like tang.  With a touch of sweetness from the honey syrup and a peppery bite from the Rye Whiskey, this frosty sipper certainly seems like just what the doctor would order on a sweltering day.  The metal Julep cup is a must here to create that nice frost on the cup.  If you don't have a silver Julep cup, the small part of a metal cocktail shaker will do in a pinch.

Lemon Basil Julep
2 oz Rye Whiskey (I like Rittenhouse 100 proof)
1/2 oz Honey Syrup*
Large sprigs of Lemon Basil
Crushed or shaved ice

Gently muddle about 7-8 leaves of lemon basil in the bottom of your julep cup with the honey syrup.  Add the Rye and a scoop of crushed ice. Stir until a frost forms on the outside of the julep cup.  Top with a big mound of snowy crushed ice and a big sprig of Lemon Basil.  Insert a straw cut short so your face is in the basil everytime you take a sip.  Sit back on the porch and sip the summer away.

*to make the honey syrup, mix equal parts honey and hot water until the honey pours freely.

Happy Fat Tuesday!

I have a Brit in the house currently, so I had to start Shrove Tuesday with some Pancakes. Strawberry pancakes with coconut. Yum. And then I cooked up a huge pot of Jambalaya.

This is almost how big my pot was...

Jambalaya is a big Cajun pot of rice vegetables, spices and meat. The veggies have to contain the Cajun holy trinity of celery, onions and bell peppers. I like the red style that has tomatoes in it. I added some plum tomatoes, hot sauce and Cajun barbecue from New Orleans to spice it up too. For the meat. I used sausage, chicken and shrimp. Brown the chicken and sausage in a pan with some herbs like thyme and rosemary. Remove the meat when browned and leave the drippings in the pan. Add the trinity of veggies to the pan of drippings and soften using more oil if necessary salting and spicing as you cook. Then add 1 part rice and 2 parts of stock and cook over a simmer stirring frequently. While that mixture is cooking, steam the shrimp with some wine and old bar seasoning. When the rice is cooked, add meat and shrimp to the mixture with hot sauce, tomatoes. Stir all together and you have an amazing pot of New Orleans goodness!

Make sure you make a Sazerac to eat with your bowl of Jambalaya! The Sazerac cocktail was named by John Schiller in 1859 upon the opening of his Sazerac Coffee House in New Orleans. Both most likely derive their name from a popular brand of Cognac, Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils. But these days it is more common to make it with rye. And you know that is how RyeGirl likes it. Having a Sazerac at The Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans is one of my favoriet things to do and its a tradition repeated every time I am in that wonderful city.

My sister cocktailier, Drinks With Mindy who I met in NOLA, has a perfect Barlesque name that notes her fine figure, SassyRack! This is her take on the classic:

SassyRack's Sazerac
2 oz Rye
7 dashes Peychaud bitters
1 barspoon Turbinado simple syrup Herbsainte rinse

Have a rocks glass chilled with ice. In another glass mix together rye, syrup and bitters. Dump ice and rinse with herbsainte. Discard the herbsainte and shout "Sassy Rack!" to the nearest lovely lady. Serve with a smile and a wink.

My Sazerac at the Roosevelt Hotel at last years Tales of the Cocktail