Gartending: Rhuby Rose

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For the Spring and Summer growing season, we bring you a new feature at Beekman 1802, the Soused Gnome.  He’ll teach  you how to “gartend”–create perfect seasonal cocktails using fresh ingredients from the garden.

 

Making Simple Syrups from fruits picked fresh from the farm orchard was one of those childhood memories that made their way into my modern day cocktail life. We had many ancient trees bursting with fruit that displayed itself during the growing season. The trick was to get to the fruit before the birds did! That was always a challenge. I’m a real fan of the fruit and savory Simple Syrups made by a small husband and wife team from Brooklyn, NY. Their product is called Royal Rose. Available in most Williams-Sonoma stores or from their website, the flavors they chose are not your usual sugar syrup and uncertain amalgamations. They do a Rose scented syrup that is like a plane ticket to Istanbul without the jet-lag. It’s amazing stuff indeed.

This cocktail uses Royal Rose “Rose” Syrup, Rhuby (USDA Certified Organic Rhubarb Liquor, 80 proof) and dreams. Yes dreams. It is an exotic cocktail, so simple to prepare. Haunting in its flavor profile- dreamy on a hot summer day.

 

Visions of the Bosphorus Cocktail

Serves two with room for more

Ingredients:

4 shots Rhuby (USDA Certified Organic)

2 oz. Royal Rose “Rose” Syrup

10 spring strawberries (charred in an ancient cast iron pan)

Fleur de Sel for finish

1 sprig of lemon thyme

 

Preparation:

Muddle the toasted strawberries in a cast iron pan

Let cool then muddle them with the end of a wooden spoon to reveal their secrets

Add some ice to the muddled strawberries

Fill about ¼ full with ice

Add the Rhuby liquor and the Royal Rose Syrup to your cocktail shaker

Add a couple of cubes of ice to some cocktail glasses

Shake and strain the strawberry/Rhuby mixture in to the glasses

Sprinkle a bit of Fleur de Sel on top and garnish with a sprig of lemon thyme

 

Warren Bobrow is the Food and Drink Editor of the 501c3, non profit Wild Table on Wild River Review located in Princeton, New Jersey.  He has published over three hundred articles in about three years on everything from cocktail mixology to restaurant reviews and travel articles.  Learn more from his website, The Cocktail Whisperer,  or by visiting his blogs at The Daily Basic, Foodista, and Williams-Sonoma