Honey Pepper Rascal, a Beer Cocktale

Now, before anyone accuses me of only writing about cocktails anymore, let me just say that a lot of thought goes into these cocktails that I enjoy. Flavor profiles are considered, of course. What’s a flavor profile? Let’s save that for another day.

First, I have a story. Last spring I caught an Alton Brown show on making a black pepper infused vodka. I am a big fan of the Bloody Mary, so I was super excited to make black pepper vodka for my summer libations. I followed his instructions, but not exactly. I added too many peppercorns and let them infuse way too long. The result was more like a black pepper extract than a black pepper vodka. It was disgusting.

But, lucky me… I happen to have the esteemed Evan Faber, formerly of SALT the Bistro, as a spirits and cocktails advisor. He took on that role some time this past winter (unbeknownst to him:), so after months of letting my unpalatable pepper vodka sit in the freezer, I reached out for help. Turns out there is a traditional Russian drink of vodka flavored with honey and pepper. To make a long story short, I cut my vodka with more vodka and added some dehydrated honey powder I picked up at Savory Spice Shop. After a little more waiting I wound up with a really delicious honey pepper vodka.

And now it’s time to play! So, taking some inspiration from Dan Mirsky, the man formerly in charge of beverages at The Pinyon, I made a beer cocktail. Dan suggested a ratio of 1 oz liquor to 6 oz beer, and that’s what I made here.

  • 1 oz honey pepper vodka
  • 6 oz Avery White Rascal Belgian-Style White Ale
  • juice of 1/2 lemon

I used a Avery’s White Rascal for two reasons: 1) Avery is the best local brewery in Boulder and 2) white ales have a lighter flavor profile that goes well with citrus (the lemon) and would compliment the spice from black pepper and the sweet from honey. White beer allows these added flavors to come through and create a cocktail rather than be hidden in a darker beer.

So, let’s start talking about beer cocktales. (Get it? cockt-ALES. Did I need to point that out?) They’re the new frontier of cocktails for me. I think 2011 is going to be the summer of beer cocktales!

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Every time I go into Savory Spice Shop in Boulder I seem to walk out with a new project.  Last December my project was homemade vanilla extract.  It’s been ready for a few weeks now and I’ve been using my own version rather than store-bought stuff in baked goods.  It’s super easy to make at home.  Here’s how I did it-
I started with a 3 oz package of Madagascar “Bourbon” Vanilla Beans (Did someone say Bourbon? You’re speaking my language!).  Slice the pods, scrape out the insides, chop up the pods into inch-long pieces, and add it all to a cup or so of vodka.
Let it sit a couple months, shaking it every few days for the first few weeks.
I took a few different shots of my mason jar.
Here’s a glimpse of the vanilla extract against light so you can see there are still vanilla beans in my jar. Leave all of that in there.
Use it as you would traditional store-bought vanilla extract, and since the vanilla beans stay in the vodka mixture, replenish what you used with fresh vodka to get more bang for your vanilla buck.

My Dad’s Bar

Growing up, I always found it so cool that my parents had a bar in the basement. I’m talking about a fully-stocked bar, and as I entered my teen years, I’d hang there with my friends and sneak little sips of things. It was cool. None of my friends had a bar in their basement.
I spent a lot of time behind the bar this year when I visited my parents for Thanksgiving. I brought my dad, Jack, the perfect gift for his eclectic bar: ROOT.

ROOT is, in my opinion, the most interesting new spirit on the market. This pre-prohibition era root-beer-tasting spirit made for some fun experimentation.

My dad introduced me to Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur, which is sure to please ginger-lovers out there. I mixed a little with some ROOT and some all natural ginger ale. It was good. I also mixed some with apple cider. Then I mixed ROOT with apple cider and maple scotch. There were a number of different combinations.

I’ve always admired my dad’s wine collection, and he spoils me every time I visit by opening a dusty bottle or two. This year it might have been three. It was a special visit, I suppose.

My dad likes to infuse vodka, brandy, and scotch with different things. His wild blackberry vodka was smooth and sippable. The same was true for his wild blackberry brandy. All he does is pick blackberries from his blackberry bush and soak them in alcohol. After a while you have a new flavored vodka, brandy, or scotch.

My sister, Alison, has been making Maple Scotch for years now and my dad still had some of her 2008 batch. My good childhood friend and I sipped on that one night for a while. Just like old times… We had a good laugh talking about how sipping scotch at age 30 was just like hanging out in middle school. I don’t remember drinking scotch back then. I do remember vodka and OJ, vodka and cranberry, gin and soda, rum and coke, etc.

My dad came dowstairs to the bar with us for a while and gave us a taste of 33 year-old Dewars that he had bought before my parents even owned their house. It was almost as smooth as the maple scotch. Just let it sit for 30+ years if you have the patience.

My sister also brought my dad a cool gift this year: Vermont Gold Vodka made from 100% maple sap. We didn’t open that bottle. Maybe next year…

Cracked Pepper Vodka

I love making and drinking a good, home made Bloody Mary in the summer. This summer, I’ll be adding cracked pepper vodka.

I cracked some pepper and put it in a bottle of Vodka.
I tipped the bottle upside down a few times. Then I let it sit… maybe for too long… I think it was a few weeks. Every few days I tipped it upside down to move the pepper. Finally, I strained out the pepper and poured the vodka back into its bottle.
The final product was really peppery. I’ll see how it tastes in drinks and let you know.

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A Bolder Table is a place where I bookmark my favorite recipes for later along with some occasional musings. It's my personal digital recipe compilation... Let's say it's my cookbook. Thanks for stopping by! -Megan
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