Our October/November issue will contain a Fresh Impressions page full of host and hostess gift ideas that you can find in and around Maryland before stopping by a friend’s for dinner…or before the next big soiree you attend.
One item on our list was The Art of the Bar, by Jeff Hollinger & Rob Schwartz. (Chronicle Books, 2006). Full of recipes for the unique cocktails these two mixologists concoct at San Francisco’s Absinthe Brasserie & Bar, it’s the perfect gift for hosts who love to serve fresh twists on some old favorites to their guests.
Some are more labor intensive than others, so perhaps you’ll want to save those drinks for special occasions, but every recipe is the delectable result of years of what the book calls “liquid exploration.” In other words, they’re sure to please.
As summer has come to a close, we in the Mid-Atlantic only have a short time to enjoy fresh local figs before they go out of season, so I’ve chosen Hollinger and Schwartz’s recipe for “Fig Thyme” to share here.
Fig Thyme
1 fig, quartered, plus 1 extra quarter for garnish
½ ounce Thyme Syrup (recipe below)
½ ounce fresh lime juice
1 ½ ounces pisco
¼ ounce Cointreau
Sprig of thyme for garnish
Makes 1 drink
In a mixing glass, muddle the quartered fig with the thyme syrup. Top with ice and add the lime juice, pisco, and Cointreau. Shake until cold, and then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the remaining quarter of fig and a sprig of thyme.
To make the thyme syrup in this recipe, combine 5 to 6 sprigs of thyme (or more if you want a stronger flavor) with 1 cup sugar and 1 ½ cups water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool, strain through a sieve, transfer to a bottle, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Another summery drink recipe found in the book is for Key Lime Pie. As my favorite summer dessert, I though I’d share that one, too. Enjoy!
Key Lime Pie
2 Key limes, halved
½ ounce Simple Syrup
1 ½ ounces Charbay Key Lime vodka
¼ ounce Sylk Cream Liqueur
Liquor 43, or another vanilla-flavored liquor
Crumbled almond biscotti for garnish
Makes 1 Drink
In a mixing glass, muddle the Key limes with the simple syrup to release their juice. Fill with ice and add the vodka and cream liqueur. Shake until cold. Rinse a chilled cocktail glass with the Liquor 43 and strain the cocktail into the glass. Sprinkle the biscotti over the top of the drink.
The Art of the Bar is available at Red Tree in Hampden, at 921 W. 36th Street: redtreebaltimore.com or 410-366-3456