Cocktail revolution – indeed. The revolution has been raging for several years now and many of us have joined in the revolution by becoming mixologists at home. I was super excited to receive a copy of Savory Cocktails to review. The first drink I made was the Green Tea Gimlet cocktail and it was fantastic— plus, it may be the most deliciously healthy cocktail ever!
About Savory Cocktails
In his book, Savory Cocktails, author Greg Henry addresses the cocktail renaissance that started in the ’80s with the Sex in the City girls’ drink of choice, the Cosmopolitan. Then, progresses to the retro drink culture with Mad Men inspired classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned.
“…. as this renaissance develops, cocktails are becoming more sophisticated and taking a distinctly savory turn.”
With nearly 100 hard-hitting distilled delights, Henry shakes, stirs, and strains the coolest cornucopia of drinks since The PDT Cocktail Book by Jim Meehan and Chris Gall. Using everything from classic liqueurs to innovative new bitters, the recipes offer a stylish, elegant approach to complex-flavored cocktails.
Leafing through my copy, one stunning cocktail after another made it difficult to decide on what to try first. Naturally, one must consider whether you have the ingredients on hand – be prepared to make a trip to Bev Mo or order some specialty items online. The Green Tea Gimlet caught my eye; as the name suggests, it contains steeped green tea, giving me the healthy component that I like to think I’m getting, and seemed fairly easy to make compared to most of the other drinks.
When our annual pilgrimage to Boston to visit family rolled around I threw Savory Cocktails in my suitcase knowing that I would be seeing Jason Kilgore, bar manager/mix master at our favorite restaurant Catalyst. Besides playing with the grandkids we always catch the Red Sox if they’re playing at Fenway Park and dine at Catalyst. Catalyst is included in Boston’s 50 Best Restaurants and we think it’s the best restaurant in Cambridge. Of course, we’re biased since Owner/Chef, William Kovel, formerly chef de cuisine at the acclaimed Aujourd’hui at Boston’s Four Seasons, is our SIL and father of the cutest grandkids in the world 😉 See the dinner he and his team prepared at the James Beard Foundation.
View of Boston and the Charles River, Cambridge
Back to Savory Cocktails… I shared the book with Jason who took it home for a little night time reading and we set a time for our tasting session and cocktail photoshoot. Mission accomplished!
Jason whipped up the Green Tea Gimlet cocktail in no time. Greg Henry likes to make a pitcher of these for parties, but we were only making one cocktail. So, rather than steep two green tea bags in 1-1/2 cups gin as the recipe calls for, Jason put a teabag and gin in a Boston shaker and shook it vigorously. Violà, we had a perfect party-for-one Green Tea Gimlet. It’s no surprise that the refreshing citrus notes played very nicely with the green tea and gin for a silky smooth libation.
Green Tea Gimlet Recipe
- 1-1/2 cups / 12 fl oz dry gin at room temperature
- 2 green tea bags
- 3/4 cup / 6 fl oz freshly squeezed lime juice
- 4 to 6 tbsp / 2 to 3 fl oz citrus syrup* made with lemon to taste
- 6 lime wedges as garnish
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Make the base: Pour the gin into a 3-cup or larger pitcher. Add the tea bags and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve, remove the tea bags and add the lime juice and citrus syrup; stir until well combined.
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Make the cocktails: For each cocktail, add about 3¼ ounces of the base to a cocktail shaker 2/3 filled with ice. Cover and shake vigorously; strain into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass. Squeeze a lime wedge over the drink and drop it in.
* To make citrus syrup: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together 2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup freshly squeezed citrus juice of your choice, 1/4 cup water and 1 tablespoon citrus zest. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Lower the heat to low and continue cooking until a syrupy consistency is achieved, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool and then strain through a wire mesh sieve double-lined with damp cheesecloth. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Jason had time to create a couple more cocktails, the two that caught his eye: the Barrel-Aged Berlioni which Henry adapted from The PDT Cocktail Book and Silk and Gators. Henry prefaces each cocktail recipe with a little history or humorous anecdote accompanied by a stunning photo. For example: “The Berlioni was originally created by Berlin-based bartender Gonçalo de Sousa Monteiro as a riff on that great cocktail star, the Negroni. The dark notes of barrel-aged gin in conjunction with orange bitters take this cocktail a step back toward its roots”. Barrel-aged gin is rather rare these days, but Henry offers a few suggestions including aging your own at home.
Jason lent his flourish to the Barrel-Aged Berlioni by lighting the orange peel and expressing the oil into the drink – the smoke and vanilla notes with a touch of Cynar and white vermouth along with the orange peel oil is the epitome of a savory cocktail.
We had time for one more: the Silk and Gators. Jason declared it “my kind of cocktail” – I didn’t want to mix too many spirits, so took a sip, then another, and declared it very spirit-forward, an assertive and complex cocktail meant to be savored, not killed on the way to a Red Sox game, which is where I was headed. The author describes Silk and Gators as a smoothly elegant, deeply nuanced cognac cocktail – hence the “silk” in the name. The complex earthiness of the “gator” is what got Henry to sit up and take notice of this Paul Sanguinetti cocktail from Ray’s and Stark Bar at the Los Angeles County Museum. It is nutty, leathery, salty, bitter, toffee, and savory – all at the same time.
Whether you are an experienced mix master, cocktail geek, or at-home mixologist Savory Cocktails {Ulysses Press, $16.95} is an elegantly designed compendium of information on the glassware, tools, and techniques necessary to create sophisticated savory cocktails. Cocktail recipes are divided into sections of sour, spicy, herbal, umami, bitter, smoky, rich, and strong. Henry also provides recipes for making your own unique syrups and bitters. Greg Henry is a professional photographer and the author of Savory Pies {Ulysses Press}. His love of food led him to write the acclaimed food blog, Sippity Sup – Serious, Fun Food – which is how I know him.
Cheers to your weekend!
Disclosure: I was not compensated to write this post, I received a copy of Savory Cocktails (thank you very much) to review and enjoy. All opinions are my own.
sippitysup
Great post. I wish I’d been in Boston with you. That was a fun exercise for sure. XOGREG
Priscilla
Thanks, Greg! It would have been fun to have you there 🙂
Barb | Creative Culinary
Well I think all three of us should have been there! Loved Greg’s book but then it’s no surprise I enjoy crafting a cocktail now and then right? 😛
I’ll have to try this one; sounds terrific!
Roger
Thanks for your recommendation of Catalyst on our visit to Boston this summer. Chef William did a wonderful job. The restaurant was perfect for our group.
Priscilla
Hi Roger – You’re welcome – I’m happy that you had a wonderful experience at Catalyst 🙂
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
Now I want a leathery, toffee cocktail! Brilliant solution to have your expert bartender do the work, while you are the taste tester!
Priscilla
Dorothy – I thought so 😉 And I think it’s time to cozy up with a dark spirited cocktail too!