What's Cooking at Good Gracious?

by Dan Smith

It's the holiday season so of course caterers and event professionals such as we are extra-busy nearly every day of the week! (Hence the lack of blog posts lately!) We have been catering breakfasts for thousands, dinners for hundreds, and just this week I have rubbed elbows with celebrities ranging from Charlize Theron to Pauly Shore.

A highlight of this season has really been having the audience to experiment with so many new cocktail recipes, some of which I have covered in previous blog posts. The Blackberry Infused Gin with Organic Q Tonic has been a huge hit! So has a delicious concoction of Vodka, Fresh Grapefruit, my own Black Pepper Bitters, and "drunken Cranberries." Bar ingredients are getting so much more fresh lately, and as caterers we are making every effort to use seasonal ingredients, just-squeezed juices, and the freshest herbs whenever possible.

Also in the works are a Cranberry Infused Vodka and a Limoncello-inspired Passioncello made with real Passion Fruit.

This is day-one of a blackberry infused gin. Notice that the gin has not yet turned color and the sugar has yet to dissolve. You may see the method for infusing gin in a November MMB blog post!


Drunken Cranberries with Vodka and Rosemary. They serve as a great FRESH way to bring seasonal cranberry flavor into cocktails without having to use boring, reconstituted cranberry juice! These can be made with a number of liquors... vodka, dark rum, or gin. It all depends what kind of drink you want to make with them!

INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups Fresh Cranberries
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Liquor (Vodka, Rum, or Gin)
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Sprigs Rosemary (Optional)

METHOD:
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until cranberries soften and skins just begin to break. Remove rosemary. Let cool and refrigerate up to 1 week prior to use.

CRANBERRY DELICIOUS COCKTAIL:
In a cocktail shaker, combine ice with:
2 oz Gin
1 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
1 oz St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
Shake gently to chill
Strain into a martini glass containing:
1 tablespoon Drunken Cranberries
2 Dashes Orange Bitters

CHEERS!

My Ultimate Gin and Tonic

Gin is back in a big way. The well-known brands are seeing huge increases and, in states where laws allow micro-distilleries, boutique brands are making an impact as well.

We are going to see this juniper elixir and plenty of cocktails this year, but first let's go back to basics and make the best damn G&T we can! Even better,let's go crazy make this perennial cocktail three ways. For each of these choose your favorite premium gin. I like Hendrick's and Boodle's!

THE GIN AND TONIC
1 Part Gin
3 Parts Q Tonic
Ice Cubes

What's so special about this recipe? It's the tonic itself! Forget Schwepps, toss the Canada Dry, and store-brand? DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. Splurge and get Q Tonic.Q is made with hand picked quinine from the Peruvian Andes, it's sweetened with organic agave (and naturally has 60% fewer calories than regular tonic), and the flavor is crisp with a well rounded sweetness. They also say that a natural tonic such as this improves circulation and accelerates digestion while improving your health!

THE ELDERFLOWER GIN AND TONIC
1 1/2 Parts Gin
1 Part St-Germain
3 Parts Q Tonic
ICE CUBES

Made from fresh elderflower hand picked in the Alps, St-Germain makes everything taste better. For that reason I have heard more than one professional bartender call it "bar ketchup." It has a delightfully floral sweetness that makes this Gin and Tonic complete. Suggest this to that nay-sayer who says they don't like gin!

BLUEBERRY INFUSED G&T
1 Part Blueberry Infused Gin (see recipe below)
3 Parts Q Tonic
ICE CUBES

Well this one takes some planning ahead... at least two weeks to be exact!

BLUEBERRY INFUSED GIN
Place 1 cup fresh blueberries in a large glass jar, add 1/3 cup sugar and a 750ml bottle of your favorite gin. Shake and set in a cool, dark place for at least two weeks, and up to two months. Shake the jar every now and then while this infusion becomes deliciously blue! Strain well and transfer into a decorative bottle or jar for presentation!

This is pretty darn good with fresh cranberries as well!

Cheers!